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88 votes
Accepted

Can I safely eat grass?

Just because there are grasses (Poaceae) with edible and nutritious parts does not mean that this applies to all grasses. That is pretty common-place. A quick Google search give you all the info you ...
imsodin's user avatar
  • 21.7k
24 votes

Can I safely eat grass?

Eating grass isn't smart because our bodies lack the enzymes to digest it, and because you never know if some animal came along and crapped on it. Don't eat grass.
Caleb Way's user avatar
  • 373
23 votes
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What are these strange seeds that looks like a mini porcupine which you can find all over Germany?

These are not exactly the seeds, but the hull of the seeds of the horse chestnut. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aesculus_hippocastanum_fruit.jpg
anderas's user avatar
  • 4,447
17 votes

Can I safely eat grass?

Apart from the low nutrients issue, grass stems are covered in tiny silica spikes, which act as an abrasive on your insides. These spikes are thought to have evolved as a defense against being eaten (...
Elise van Looij's user avatar
16 votes
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What kind of tree produces these seed pods looking like spiky balls?

That is a sweet gum tree. The distinctive compound fruit is hard, dry, and globose,1–1.5 inches (25–38 mm) in diameter, composed of numerous (40-60) capsules.[13] Each capsule, containing one to two ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
16 votes

Can I safely eat grass?

To add to the existing answers, depending on where the grass is growing, there can be all sorts of synthetic fertilizers thrown onto it which would be very harmful to humans. You do not want to eat ...
ClydeTheGhost's user avatar
14 votes

Are there any reliable plants to use for navigation?

I doubt there are specific plants, but in general, yes, plants can be indicators of direction. In the Northern Hemisphere, for example, snow will stay longer on the north facing slopes and pile up on ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
12 votes
Accepted

Can I eat raw acorns?

It looks like eating raw acorns won't kill you but its not likely to be pleasant and can harm you. That said, even “sweet” acorns should be leached to remove what tannins exist in them because ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
11 votes

Can you eat pine needles in an emergency?

Yes & no. The U.S. Navy land survival training in Pensacola, Florida teaches students to chew on pine needles to obtain vitamin C. But you don't actually chew and swallow them.
The Greenman's user avatar
11 votes

Can I safely eat grass?

A look through the veterinary literature can show you some further reasons not to just go out and eat grass. Specifically, parasites like liver fluke, different species of tapeworm, and some ...
rumtscho's user avatar
  • 1,552
10 votes
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Plant identification methods

The previous answers (1,2(now deleted)), unfortunately, exhibit why a simple google search doesn't always work. Two seemingly experienced SE users coming to two different conclusions. So is this an ...
theforestecologist's user avatar
9 votes

What is a good source of vitamin C in the wild?

There are many sources of vitamin C in the wild. Some of the tricks that I have come across is to know how to extract it in ways that do not destroy the vitamin C. Berries are great in vitamin C and ...
Ken Graham's user avatar
  • 9,609
9 votes

Plant identification methods

I think your plant is a pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. I have a lot in my yard in Massachusetts. Our sister site, Gardening and Landscaping has a number of questions about pokeweed. I think this has ...
Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL's user avatar
7 votes

Can I get fresh water from ocean plants?

Can you keep yourself well hydrated, by consuming only ocean plants? Theoretically, yes, but you would need to consume a big amount of them. I'll use the same reasoning as in Can I get fresh water ...
Jan's user avatar
  • 1,329
7 votes
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What is this plant with red stalks and greenish-red leaves?

After lots of digging, I believe this is a Lagerstroemia indica, better known as a Crape Myrtle or Crepe Myrtle. This is the "juvenile" stage of this flowering tree it seems. Wikipedia has ...
Timmy Jim's user avatar
  • 1,349
6 votes

Can anyone help with identifying this tree?

I would say it is a walnut tree. The bole is flat, and at first sight it seems that someone cut the lower branches of it (at some point when the tree was younger). The leaves also look like the ones ...
Akabelle's user avatar
  • 2,832
6 votes

Are there any reliable plants to use for navigation?

No, plants cannot be relied on globally for directions. But they can give you hints sometimes. The only thing plants can tell you is in which direction the sun typically shines from. This isn't ...
ShemSeger's user avatar
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5 votes
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Are there plants (for instance berries) which lead to dehydration if eaten?

Are there plants (for instance berries) which lead to dehydration if eaten? I'd wager that for most people in practically any reasonable situation you would encounter in the outdoors other sources of ...
Erik's user avatar
  • 9,638
5 votes
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What is this plant in England with large veined leaves and multi-part buds?

The thick veins make me believe it is Comfrey. Your image is of a young plant so it is hard to tell for sure. It is and has been an important part of herbal treatments and gardening. It is used ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
5 votes

How should I treat poison ivy?

I realize that an answer has already been chosen, but as a frequent sufferer of poison ivy, I feel obliged to answer. The best way to treat poison ivy, is to not get it in the first place, with ...
Tom's user avatar
  • 303
5 votes
Accepted

What plants can be heard when they are growing?

It looks like the two species, that you can actually hear grow are corn and rhubarb, other plants also make sounds when they are growing, but in frequencies that humans can't hear. Today, the ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

Are there any toxic berries that can be easily confused with the Serviceberry (saskatoon berry)?

Regarding your plant, yes, it's a serviceberry. The dark blue berries are perfectly ripe, and you should harvest them immediately if you want to eat them. The pink ones aren't quite ripe yet. The ...
csk's user avatar
  • 4,364
4 votes

Eating ash in Soviet Union

There are many references available on the internet regarding consumption of ash from untreated wood. The practice apparently dates into prehistory. However, as a few people have pointed out, the ...
MykeS's user avatar
  • 41
4 votes

Can you eat pine needles in an emergency?

In the spring you can commonly find delicious new shoots on spruce. They are quite good as a snack when there are no other significant sources of food to eat, or perhaps on a hike.
Ian Warwick's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

What is this plant with fluffy white flowers in the Canadian Rockies?

Looks like Anemone occidentalis Native to far western North America including British Columbia to California and Montana, it is found growing in gravelly soils on slopes and in moist meadows.
Jason Rush's user avatar
3 votes

Plant identification methods

The free Android app inaturalist is pretty legit for plant and animal identification using pictures. It pointed me to the #1 option being American Pokeweed using your 3 pictures, the location, and ...
BeachMiles's user avatar

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