What is the edible plant called that has heart shaped leaves?

Question

What is the edible plant called that has heart shaped leaves?

Answer 1

Wild Ginger, Asarum caudatum

It is really worthwhile looking for this amazing deciduous plant in moist shady sites with humus rich soil. There are several species found across North America.

The leaves are heart shaped and grow from a rhizome under the soil surface. The rhizome is the underground woody part of ginger that you'd find in a supermarket.

The fascinating purplish-brown flowers have a strange jug shape to them and are often difficult to see because they hang down, under the leaves.

The roots of wild ginger have been used as a spice and can also be made into a tea, but it might be best just to appreciate it where you find it and buy some at the market!

Birch:

There are several species of birch, which can be divided into two groups white birches and river birches. White birches are slender trees common to northern forests. Their loose white bark makes them easy to identify. The main trunk is branchless for several feet, with a crown of heart shaped leaves overhead. White Birch has a watery, sweet inner bark that is nutritious and easy to collect. The cambium layer can be peeled from the tree and chewed, or the sap can be collected and drunk

Garlic mustard

This common weed grows in open woods and at the edges of gardens, woods, and buildings. The roughly heart-shaped leaves grow on individual stalks 1-4" high and are often visible above shallow snow. For details of identification, see Garlic Mustard.

In late spring, garlic mustard puts up a slender, thigh-high flower stalk. In winter, the dried stalk often survives, with inch-long narrow, tan pods sticking out from the sides.

Although the leaves grow year-round, it’s the small winter and spring examples that are most tender and least bitter. They can be added to soups and salads for extra piquancy and a dose of calcium, potassium, B vitamins, and cancer-preventing antioxidants