About this book
The wild plants in this book tell stories of land, people, and food. As renowned botanist Kelly Kindscher guides us through over one hundred edible plants in this beautiful field guide, we find that foraging has always been an important part of prairie life.
Before colonisation, Native American women were the primary gatherers of wild plants, which were an abundant, sustainable, and delicious feature of Indigenous diets. Colonisers reduced the significance of wild plants in prairie life as they relocated Native peoples and imposed their agrarian culture on the land, but these Indigenous foodways were never truly lost. In the recent past, foraging has become a tremendously popular way for many peoples to connect with the earth, promote sustainability, and revive and honour cultural food traditions.
In this beautifully illustrated new edition, Kindscher explores 117 wild plants of the prairie, offering information about habitat, food use, and cultivation. Colour photos and maps make this stunning book a useful foraging guide for anyone to take out into the prairie. A must-have for enthusiasts and professionals alike, Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie gives us the great opportunity to engage with the land we live in.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Major Wild Edible Plants of the Prairie
Allium canadense, Wild Onion
Amaranthus blitoides, Prostrate Amaranth
Ambrosia trifida, Giant Ragweed
Amelanchier alnifolia, Serviceberry
Amorpha canescens, Leadplant
Amphicarpaea bracteata, Ground Bean
Apios americana, Hopniss or Groundnut
Asclepias syriaca, Common Milkweed
Astragalus crassicarpus, Groundplum Milkvetch
Atriplex argentea, Saltbush
Callirhoe involucrata, Purple Poppy Mallow
Camassia scilloides, Wild Hyacinth
Ceanothus americanus, New Jersey Tea or Red Root
Chenopodium berlandieri, Lamb's Quarters
Cirsium undulatum, Wavy-Leafed Thistle
Cleome serrulata, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant
Corylus americana, Hazelnut
Coryphantha vivipara, Pincushion Cactus
Cucurbita foetidissima, Buffalo Gourd
Dalea candida, White Prairie Clover
Erythronium mesochoreum, Midland Fawn Lily
Fragaria virginiana, Wild Strawberry
Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Wild Licorice
Helianthus annuus, Sunflower
Helianthus tuberosus, Tuberous Sunflower or Jerusalem Artichoke
Ipomoea leptophylla, Bush Morning Glory
Iva annua, Marsh Elder
Liatris punctata, Gayfeather
Lomatium foeniculaceum, Prairie Parsley
Monarda fistulosa, Beebalm
Opuntia macrorhiza, Prickly Pear
Oxalis violacea, Violet Wood Sorrel
Pediomelum esculentum, Tipsin or Prairie Turnip
Physalis longifolia, Wild Tomatillo or Ground Cherry
Proboscidea louisianica, Devil's Claw
Prunus americana, Wild Plum
Prunus virginiana, Chokecherry
Rhus glabra, Smooth Sumac
Ribes aureum, Golden Currant
Rosa arkansana, Wild Rose
Rubus flagellaris, Dewberry
Shepherdia argentea, Buffalo Berry
Stanleya pinnata, Prince's Plume
Tradescantia occidentalis, Spiderwor
Viola pedatifida, Prairie Violet
Yucca glauca, Yucca or Small Soapweed
Other Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie
Abronia fragrans, Snowball Sand Verbena
Agastache foeniculum, Lavender Hyssop
Androstephium caeruleum, Blue Funnel Lily
Antennaria parviflora, Pussytoes
Argentina anserina, Silverweed Cinquefoil
Artemisia carruthii, Wild Sage
Calochortus gunnisonii, Sego Lily
Chamaesaracha coronopus, Greenleaf Five Eyes
Claytonia virginica, Spring Beauty
Comandra umbellata, Bastard Toadflax
Coreopsis tinctoria, Plains Coreopsis
Cymopterus acaulis, Stemless Indian Parsley
Descurainia pinnata, Tansy Mustard
Dysoddia papposa, Fetid Marigold
Elaeagnus commutata, Silverberry
Ericameria nauseosa, Rabbitbrush or Chimasa
Eriogonum alatum, Winged Buckwheat
Hedeoma drummondii, Drummond's False Pennyroyal
Heliotropium convolvulaceum, Bindweed Heliotrope
Hoffmannseggia glauca, Indian Rushpea
Hymenopappus filifolius, Fineleaf Hymenopappus
Juniperus virginiana, Red Cedar
Lactuca ludoviciana, Prairie Wild Lettuce
Lathyrus polymorphus, Many-Stemmed Pea
Lepidium virginicum, Virginia Pepperweed
Lespedeza capitata, Roundhead Lespedeza
Lilium philadelphicum, Wood Lily or Prairie Lily
Linum lewisii, Wild Blue Flax
Maianthemum stellatum, Starry False Lily of the Valley
Matelea biflora, Star Milkvine
Mentzelia albicaulis, White-Stem Blazing Star
Mirabilis linearis, Narrow-Leaved Four O'clock
Monolepis nuttalliana, Nuttall's Poverty Weed
Nothoscordum bivalve, False Garlic
Oenothera biennis, Common Evening Primrose
Orobanche ludoviciana, Cancer Root
Pectis angustifolia, Lemonscent or Limoncillo
Plantago patagonica, Woolly Plantain
Polanisia dodecandra, Clammy Weed
Polygonum erectum, Knotweed
Portulaca oleracea, Purslane
Pycnanthemum virginianum, Slender Mountain Mint
Quincula lobata, Chinese Lantern
Ratibida columnifera, Prairie Coneflower
Rumex venosus, Winged Dock
Silphium perfoliatum, Cup Plant
Solanum triflorum, Cutleaf Nightshade
Solidago missouriensis, Goldenrod
Sophora nutalliana, Silky Sophora
Sphaeralcea coccinea, Scarlet Globe Mallow
Strophostyles helvola, Trailing Wild Bean
Symphoricarpos occidentalis, Wolfberry or Western Snowberry
Thelesperma megapotamicum, Greenthread or Cota
Vicia americana, American Vetch
Xanthium strumarium, Cocklebur
The Grasses (Poaceae)
Achnatherum hymenoides, Indian Ricegrass
Bouteloua gracilis, Blue Grama
Distichlis spicata, Inland Saltgrass
Echinochloa muricata, Barnyard Grass
Elymus canadensis, Canada Wild Rye
Eragrostis pectinacea, Lovegrass
Hordeum pusillum, Little Barley
Koeleria pyramidata, Junegrass
Muhlenbergia asperifolia, Muhly
Panicum capillare, Panic Grass
Phalaris caroliniana, Maygrass or Carolina Canary Grass
Poa fendleriana, Bluegrass
Setaria leucopila, Foxtail
Sporobolus airoides, Alkali Sacaton
Tripsacum dactyloides, Eastern Gama Grass
Vulpia octoflora, Six Weeks Fescue
Appendix: Table of Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie
Literature Cited
Index
Customer Reviews
Biography
Kelly Kindscher is professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Kansas and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey. He is the author of Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide and Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide and coauthor of The Nature of Kansas Lands.
