Edible trees

I googled, " learning about edible trees" and came across this site at the top of the page. Go to page 2 and it tells you several that have food value. I had to jump around on the net to find pictures of what some of them looked like and where they grew, but once you know,you'll be another step ahead of the game.Sorry about not posting a link, my computer skills are nil.

Hey there, I take it this is the site? www.associatedcontent.com...


all you have to do is copy and paste to create the link, (Whch you will see if you right click the mouse button) That copys the link, then you do the same to "paste" it, Again with a right click,

Good info. Thanks for posting it. (both of you)

If I recall, there were a tribe of nomadic Indians called "tree eaters".

Your article mentioned a caution about eating poisonous trees but didn't list what trees those might be. A glaring omission. Any links to that would round out the info nicely. Thanks in advance. Very helpful post, korath.

Yep, that's the one. Thanks for the copy and paste info asala and for posting the link so it's easier for people to find.

I know of quite a few 'edible trees' in Australia, better known as bush tucker.

Probably not much use to you but interesting none the less

Originally posted by whitewave
Your article mentioned a caution about eating poisonous trees but didn't list what trees those might be. A glaring omission. Any links to that would round out the info nicely. Thanks in advance. Very helpful post, korath.

Yew springs to mind as a poisonous tree. The leaves and seeds contain alkaloid poison that can be fatal.

A lot of evergreen trees and shrubs are poisonous, I guess as a natural defence against being eaten at a time of year when food is scarce.

Rhododenron, laburnam, oak, and ivy are all poisonous.

I don't know so much about eating the tree itself but most of them have edible fruits, nuts, blossoms, leaves, etc...

With all the greenery on this earth do you really think trees are the only edible thing? Seriously, if you want to check into this, check out edible wild plants!! Did you know milkweed is edible? and cattails? or how about dandelions? Living in Maine with all these old timers-lol...(with great knowledge) there are ALOT of edible greens you walk on every day!! definitely worth your time to investigate!!! Good luck to all of you!!
Edit to add: The book feasting free on wild edibles written by Bradford Angier is a good place to start-I own a copy myself...

[edit on 22-2-2009 by rockhndr]

AngelInterceptor, thanks for adding the avoidables to the list. That helps. I know there are a lot of plants that are poisonous but poisonous trees was unchartered territory.

rockhndr, I have oodles of information on edible plants but when winter hits, unless one has a greenhouse with those plants growing, you'll just have to wait for spring to get anything to eat. The list of edible trees was very useful information, imho. Trees don't die out in 2 feet of snow. I like to eat all year around, not just during the growing seasons.

Birch is delicious, but I doubt that (in a survival situation) you could survive off the bark for very long.

Originally posted by rockhndr
With all the greenery on this earth do you really think trees are the only edible thing? Seriously, if you want to check into this, check out edible wild plants!! Did you know milkweed is edible? and cattails? or how about dandelions? Living in Maine with all these old timers-lol...(with great knowledge) there are ALOT of edible greens you walk on every day!! definitely worth your time to investigate!!! Good luck to all of you!!
Edit to add: The book feasting free on wild edibles written by Bradford Angier is a good place to start-I own a copy myself...

[edit on 22-2-2009 by rockhndr]

no need to rip his head off,,, of course he knows there's edible plants,,,,99% of people know that


he wrote this because most of us probably never realized or thought of trees as a potential food source,,,,,,therefore highlighting what trees we can use as food as well as plants,,,which is quite obvious



cattails,milkweed,,,,yes,,, however most americans will buy it in a bottle as a supplement or vitamin use,,,, never seeing the actual plant

I've got an omnivore iguana and they eat hibiscus and ficus (weeping fig). I imagine they would be edible for humans and worth researching. I'd be interested to learn more about tree eating native american people, that's interesting.

Chestnuts, when cooked properly are delicious. Do not confuse these with Horse-Chestnuts (conkers to us Brits). Conkers are poisonous and are only good for scaring the hell out health & safety nuts, hell bent on removing a British tradition from the schoolyard.

the link you posted was not too useful to me except that sweet sap is good and sweet inner bark is good.

You do however bring up a good point though with survival ism trees are everywhere and they should be the first step in getting vital nutrients for healthy living.

Originally posted by whitewave
Your article mentioned a caution about eating poisonous trees but didn't list what trees those might be. A glaring omission. Any links to that would round out the info nicely. Thanks in advance. Very helpful post, korath.

And here a link of trees/plants/shrubs to avoid Poison Trees and there is another link here

No pics, but you can google the individual ones mentioned.

In the wild, it is best to either have a fantastic working knowledge of your flora and fauna or keep a field guide about your local plants. Guessing should never be an option.

Also, if you have a copy of the SAS survival handbook, for each type of region there is a list with pictures of edible and poison plants.

Same can be said about mushrooms. Dont eat what you dont know. Some of those things are plain nasty.

Great and thanks.

We can't get enough of this sort of information right now.
I would suggest to everyone that you make hard copies of some of the
survival info that you get here on ATS and other sites.
Herbs, solar possibilities, natural medicine - etc.

Remember - there are a lot of things that can wipe
out the internet/computers/electricity.

Make copies and put them in plastic bags.

reply to post by salchanra



Thanks. That rounds out the info. Good find.

reply to post by Chadwickus


I love in Aus also i havent been able to find much on surviving in the bush and i dont really know where to start. Any advice?

reply to post by whitewave


You are welcome. Just some things I picked up during my years as a gardener. If anoyone is interested in the broader field of plants that are poisonous, I am only too willing to assist.

Or plants that are edible in the british isles, for that matter. You only have to ask.

I'm sorry-I didn't mean to come across in the way you took it? really, but you are right, in reading my own post, it did sound that way didn't it? and no, not everyone realizes edible plants (except at the grocery store) are out there! I was only trying to be helpful and point out a good place to start on wild edibles...(excuses myself from the thread)
(anything to jump on someone around here)

[edit on 25-2-2009 by rockhndr]