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List of forageable plants in the temperate zone

Edible wild plants

This article lists plants commonly found in the wild, which are edible to humans and thus forageable. Some are only edible in part, while the entirety of others are edible. Some plants (or select parts) require cooking to make them safe for consumption.

Field guides instruct foragers to carefully identify species before assuming that any wild plant is edible. Accurate determination ensures edibility and safeguards against potentially fatal poisoning. Some plants that are generally edible can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. U.S. Army guidelines advise to test for contact dermatitis, then chew and hold a pinch in the mouth for 15 minutes before swallowing. If any negative effect results, it is advised to induce vomiting and drink a high quantity of water. Additionally, old or improperly stored specimens can cause food poisoning.

Other lists of edible seeds, mushrooms, flowers, nuts, vegetable oils and leaves may partially overlap with this one. Separately, a list of poisonous plants catalogs toxic species.

List

These lists are ordered by the binomial (Latin) name of the species.

Trees and shrubs

Plant image	Part image	Common name	Binomial name	Distribution	Edible parts and uses	Ref.
[[File:Amelanchier lamarckii struik.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Felsenbirne frucht.JPG	100px]]	Juneberry	Amelanchier lamarckii	Naturalized in Western Europe	Berries (in June), edible raw
[[File:Berberis vulgaris .jpg	100px]]	[[File:Berberis vulgaris 'Atropurpurea' 003.JPG	100px]]	Barberry	Berberis vulgaris	Europe, North America, northwest Africa, western Asia	Berries (from July), edible raw, dried as a spice or cooked as a jelly
[[File:Bad-homburg-schlosshof-kastanie-002.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Maroni2.jpg	100px]]	Sweet chestnut	Castanea sativa	Throughout Europe and parts of Asia; common in woods and parks	Nuts (October to November). Chestnuts are edible raw or in any other preparation, such as roasted, boiled, stewed or baked.
[[File:Corylus avellana 0001.JPG	100px]]	[[File:Haselnuss Gr 99.jpg	100px]]	Hazel	Corylus avellana	In many European woodlands, at the edges of woods or in mature hedges	Hazelnuts (from late August to October), edible raw or processed
[[File:Crataegus monogyna - Common hawthorn.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Crataegus monogyna 005.JPG	100px]]	Hawthorn, may-tree	Crataegus monogyna	Native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia; naturalized elsewhere	Leaves (when young, in April), edible raw as a salad vegetable Berries (in autumn), edible raw, or made into jellies, jams and syrups, or used as a flavoring
[[File:Fagus sylvatica 019.jpg	100px]]	[[File:European Beech.jpg	100px]]	Beech	Fagus sylvatica	Europe, except parts of Spain, northern England, northern parts of Northern Europe	Nuts (in September or October), edible raw or roasted and salted, or can be pressed for oil
[[File:Atriplex-portulacoides-habitus.JPG	100x100px]]	[[File:Atriplex portulacoides sl10.jpg	133x133px]]	Sea purslane	Halimione portulacoides	Seashores and salt marshes of western and southern Europe, and from the Mediterranean to western Asia	Leaves, raw as a salad, or stir-fried
[[File:20111029Rheinbogen Hockenheim02.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Humulus lupulus 012.jpg	100px]]	Hop	Humulus lupulus	Native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere: Europe, North America, Asia	Young shoots and leaves (until May), edible cooked as a vegetable
[[File:Noyer centenaire en automne.JPG	100px]]	[[File:Walnuts2.jpg	100px]]	Walnut	Juglans regia	Native to Central Asia, but naturalized in temperate zones worldwide	Nuts (ripening in September)
[[File:Jeneverbes.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Juniperus communis cones.jpg	100px]]	Juniper	Juniperus communis	Throughout the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe and Asia	Berries, both immature (green) and mature (dark); inedibly bitter when raw, but used as a spice, for beverages, as a jam or roasted and ground as a coffee substitute
[[File:Mahonia aquifolium002.JPG	100px]]	[[File:Mahonia aquifolium 004.JPG	100px]]	Oregon-grape	Mahonia aquifolium	North America, occasionally naturalized in Europe	Berries, edible raw (though acidic) or made into a jelly
[[File:Stubbendorf Wildapfelbaum.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Malus sylvestris 005.JPG	100px]]	Crabapples	Malus sylvestris and other Malus species	Malus is native to the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, in Europe, Asia and North America.	Fruit (from July), edible raw or, if too bitter, cooked as a jelly (containing much pectin)
[[File:Mespilus germanica 006.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Mispeln.jpg	100px]]	Medlar	Mespilus germanica	Southeast Europe to West Asia, occasionally naturalized in Britain	Fruit (in November), edible after being bletted for a few weeks
[[File:Gagelstrauch weibl. in Blüte.jpg	133x133px]]	[[File:Myrica gale kz01.jpg	133x133px]]	Bog-myrtle, sweet willow, Dutch myrtle, sweetgale	Myrica gale	Parts of the northern hemisphere, including Japan, North Korea, Russia, Europe and North America	Leaves, dried as tea, or raw as roast chicken stuffing
[[File:Pinus sylvestris Glenmuick.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Pinus sylvestris cones pl.jpg	100px]]	Scots pine	Pinus sylvestris	Native to Europe and Asia	Needles (when young, April to August), can be boiled for tea or soaked in olive oil to yield an aromatic oil Nuts, tiny and difficult to extract from the cones, but edible raw
[[File:Prosopis juliflora.jpg	100x100px]]	[[File:Algaroba.jpg	133x133px]]	Mesquite	Prosopis juliflora	Native to Southern America, widely found in arid and hot climates worldwide as an invasive weed	Seed pods, edible raw or boiled, dried and milled to make flour, or fermented to make a mildly alcoholic beverage	last1=Pieroni	first1=Andrea	title=The Cultural History of Plants	date=2005	publisher=Routledge	isbn=0415927463	editor1-last=Prance	editor1-first=Ghillean	page=32	author-link=Andrea Pieroni	editor2-last=Nesbitt	editor2-first=Mark}}
[[File:Kirsche Margetshöchheim, 2.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Prunus avium fruit.jpg	100px]]	Wild cherry	Prunus avium	Native to Europe, western Turkey, northwestern Africa, and western Asia; Found in hedgerows and woods, especially beech	Cherries, edible raw
[[File:Damson orchard, Ashford Bowdler. - geograph.org.uk - 53068.jpg	100px]]	[[File:RipeDamsons.JPG	100px]]	Bullace, damson, other wild plums	Prunus domestica subsp. insititia	Prunus species are spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe.	Fruit (ripe from early October), edible raw
[[File:Prunus spinosa 001.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Closeup of blackthorn aka sloe aka prunus spinosa sweden 20050924.jpg	100px]]	Sloe, blackthorn	Prunus spinosa	Native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa; also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America	Berries, edible raw, but very acidic unless picked after the first few days of autumn frost
[[File:Quercus robur AB.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Donguri.jpg	100px]]	English / French oak	Quercus robur	Native to most of Europe, and from Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa	Acorns (ripening in September to October), too bitter when raw, but used chopped and roasted as a substitute for almonds, or then ground as a substitute for coffee. After leaching out the bitter tannins in water, acorn meal can be used as grain flour.
[[File:Ribes aureum (16943883272).jpg	100px]]	[[File:Ab plant 1315 (Ribes aureum).jpg	100px]]	Golden currant	Ribes aureum	Native to northwest North America	Berries, edible raw but tart
[[File:Ribes cereum bush-4-19-04.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Ribes cereum 0132.JPG	100px]]	Wax currant	Ribes cereum	Native to western North America	Berries, edible raw but possibly semi-toxic
[[File:Black currant in the mountains of Zakamensky district of Buryatia, Russia.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Ribes nigrum a1.JPG	100px]]	Blackcurrant	Ribes nigrum	Native to north-central Eurasia	Berries, used in jams
[[File:Ribes rubrum 1.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Ribes rubrum2005-07-17.JPG	100px]]	Redcurrant	Ribes rubrum	Native to western Europe	Berries, used in jams and kissel
[[File:Ribes sanguineum 5724.JPG	100px]]	[[File:Fruit de Ribes sanguineum.jpg	100px]]	Flowering currant	Ribes sanguineum	Western United States and Canada	Berries, edible raw and used in jams
[[File:-2020-09-23 Blackberrys, Coast Path, Trimingham.JPG	100px]]	[[File:Ripe, ripening, and green blackberries.jpg	100px]]	Raspberries, blackberries, etc.	Rubus species	Widely distributed	Berries, edible raw and used in jams
[[File:Sambucus nigra 004.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Sambucus nigra2.jpg	100px]]	Elder	Sambucus nigra	Europe, North Africa, Central Asia and Anatolia	Flowers (June to July), edible raw, as a salad green, or pickled, or to make tea, or alcoholic beverages Berries (August to October), edible when ripe (turning upside down) and cooked; raw berries are mildly poisonous
[[File:Weilburg - Tiergarten - Mehlbeere.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Sorbus aria-3420.jpg	100px]]	Whitebeam	Sorbus aria	Central and southern Europe	Berries, edible raw once overripe (bletted)
[[File:Rowan tree 20081002b.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Rowanberries in late August 2004 in Helsinki.jpg	100px]]	Rowan, Mountain-ash	Sorbus aucuparia	Native to most of Europe except for the far south, and northern Asia	Berries (August to November), bitter, but can be cooked to form a jelly, or used as a flavouring
[[File:Sorbus torminalis Full tree.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Sorbus torminalis Weinsberg 20070929 5.jpg	100px]]	Wild service-tree	Sorbus torminalis	Native to Europe, south to northwest Africa, and southeast to southwest Asia	Berries (from September), edible raw, but hard and bitter unless bletted
[[File:Præstens træ.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Tilia x europea-1.JPG	100px]]	Lime	Tilia × europaea	Occasionally in the wild in Europe, or commonly grown in parks, on roadsides or in ornamental woods	Flowers (in full bloom, June or early July). A tea (popular in France as tilleul) can be made from the dried flowers. Leaves, without the stalks, edible raw as a salad vegetable
[[File:Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) - St. John's, Newfoundland 2019-08-22 (03).jpg	left	thumb	94x94px]]	[[File:Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) - St. John's, Newfoundland 2019-08-22 (02).jpg	left	thumb	75x75px]]	Wild lowbush blueberry	Vaccinium angustifolium	Eastern and central Canada, northeastern United States	Berries, edible raw, commonly used in jams and jellies

Herbaceous plants

Plant image	Part image	Common name	Binomial name	Distribution	Edible parts and uses	Ref.
[[File:Achillea millefolium 5Dsr 9042.jpg	132x132px]]		Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	Native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere	All parts in small quantity, leaves when young
[[File:Amaranthus retroflexus full1.jpg	132x132px]]	[[File:Amaranthus retroflexus sl1.jpg	222x222px]]	Amaranth, pigweed, tumbleweed	Amaranthus retroflexus	Native to the tropical Americas, but widespread worldwide	Leaves, boiled as a vegetable, or raw with the shoots if young
[[File:UitstaandeMeldeSorinnesDSCN4516.JPG	132x132px]]	[[File:Atriplex patula sl14.jpg	132x132px]]	Spear saltbush, common orache	Atriplex patula	Semi-arid deserts and coastal areas in Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa	Young leaves and shoots, raw or cooked as a substitute for spinach
[[File:Carpobrotus acinaciformis (plants).jpg	100px]]	[[File:Carpobrotus species 004.jpg	100x100px]]	Ice plant, sour fig	Carpobrotus edulis	South Africa and many zones with a similar climate, including Australia, California and the Mediterranean	Figs (May to July); edible raw
[[File:Melganzenvoet bloeiwijze Chenopodium album.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Chenopodium album ENBLA04.jpg	100x100px]]	Fat-hen, wild spinach	Chenopodium album	Worldwide in soils rich in nitrogen, especially on wasteland	Leaves and young shoots; edible raw or prepared as a green vegetable
[[File:Illustration Chenopodium bonus-henricus0 clean.JPG	100px]]		Good-King-Henry	Chenopodium bonus-henricus	Most of Europe, West Asia and eastern North America	Young shoots (until early summer) and leaves (until August). The shoots can be cooked like asparagus, and the leaves like spinach.
[[File:Imperata cylindrica tigaya colony.jpg	100x100px]]	[[File:Imperata cylindrica 2308122.png	99x99px]]	Cogongrass	Imperata cylindrica	Native to tropical and subtropical Asia, but found worldwide as an invasive species from 45°N to 45°S	Young inflorescences and shoots, cooked; roots, edible raw when chewed; ash, as a salt substitute
[[File:Field poppy (Papaver rhoeas) in meadow.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Grote klaproos vrucht Papaver rhoeas.jpg	100px]]	Poppy	Papaver rhoeas	Worldwide, principally in the northern temperate zones	Seeds (from September, when the seed heads are dry, gray-brown and holed); edible raw as a spice or flavoring
[[File:Salicornia europaea MS 0802.JPG	100x100px]]	[[File:Salicornia europaea.jpg	105x105px]]	Samphire, glasswort, pickleweed, sea beans, sea asparagus	Salicornia species	Seashores and other salty habitats in the northern hemisphere and southern Africa	Young shoots (June or July); edible raw or cooked, also pickled
[[File:SileneVulgaris-overz.jpg	100x100px]]	[[File:Bladder Campion.jpg	100x100px]]	Bladder campion, maidenstears	Silene vulgaris	As a wildflower in the temperate zones of Europe, Western Asia, North Africa and North America, on dry, sunny, calcareous grassland	Young shoots and leaves, raw, older leaves also cooked; a local specialty in parts of the Mediterranean region
[[File:StellariaMedia001.JPG	100x100px]]	[[File:Kaldari Stellaria media 01.jpg	100x100px]]	Chickweed	Stellaria media	Worldwide, as an annual in colder climates, and a perennial evergreen elsewhere	Stems and leaves, raw or cooked
[[File:Taraxacum officinale--.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Atlas roslin pl Mniszek pospolity 9457 8285.jpg	100px]]	Dandelion	Taraxacum officinale	Native to Eurasia, naturalized elsewhere	Leaves, edible raw or cooked when older
	[[File:Typha capensis.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Typha × glauca.jpg	100px]]	Cattail	Typha spp.	Temperate Northern Hemisphere and Australasia	Rhizomes
Young and inner shoots and stems
Cooked flowers	last1=Nyerges	first1=Christopher	url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RwDHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PP40	title=Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America: More than 150 Delicious Recipes Using Nature's Edibles	date=2016	publisher=Rowman & Littlefield	isbn=978-1-4930-1499-6	pages=38, 40}}
[[File:Illustration Urtica dioica0 clean.jpg	100px]]	[[File:Brennnessel 1.JPG	100px]]	Stinging nettle	Urtica dioica	Very common in Europe and Asia, less common in North America	Young shoots and leaves (until May), edible after soaking or boiling as a vegetable, or as a soup or purée

References

Sources

References

U.S. Department of the Army. (2019). "The Official U.S. Army Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants". [[Lyons Press]].
Mabey (2012), 73
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(2009). "Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods". [[Sterling Publishing.
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(2005). "The Cultural History of Plants". Routledge.
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Fagan, Damian. (2019). "Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert". [[FalconGuides]].
Blackwell, Laird R.. (2006). "Great Basin Wildflowers: A Guide to Common Wildflowers of the High Deserts of Nevada, Utah, and Oregon (A Falcon Guide)". [[Morris Book Publishing, LLC]].
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. (1968). "Home Preservation of Fruit and Vegetables". HMSO.
(2 August 2015). "Kisel – Russian sweet drink".
"Red-flowering Currant".
Harding, Deborah. (22 November 2022). "The History of the Blackberry Fruit". Leaf Group Ltd..
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"Vaccinium angustifolium (Late Lowbush Blueberry, Low Bush Blueberry, Lowbush Blueberry, Low Sweet Blueberry) {{!}} North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox".
Tjandra, Cornelia. (2019-05-16). "Yarrow, a Delicious and Nutritious Panacea".
"Common Yarrow: Pictures, Flowers, Leaves & Identification {{!}} Achillea millefolium".
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{{PFAF. Imperata cylindrica
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(2016). "Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America: More than 150 Delicious Recipes Using Nature's Edibles". Rowman & Littlefield.
Mabey (2012), xx

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