[NatureNS] Mystery plant (picture)

From: "Rick Ballard" <RBallard@NL.Rogers.Com>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:22:34 -0230
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[ Apologies if this is a duplicate - I sent it last night but never got a copy back ]

David, 
Here is a report of another brave soul who tasted Clintonia berries and yet lives today: 

http://www.nanps.org/board/?topic=topic7&msg=3 
"There are several woodland Liliaceae reputed to have edible berries, including Bluebead 
lily [Clintonia borealis], Canada mayflower [Maianthemum canadense], and Solomonīs 
plume/False Solomonīs Seal [Smilacina racemosa]. I found all of them slightly sweet, bland, 
and with a soapy aftertaste. The Clintonia was especially soapy. I wouldnīt recommend 
them unless you were lost in the woods. Please note that some sources say that they 
_arenīt_ edible." 

And another person who could find no actual evidence of poisoning: 
http://www.viewsfromthetop.com/forums/showthread.php?p=95471 
"Bluebead lily fruits are suspected to be mildly poisonous. I used to scrupulously warn 
people not to eat them, but did some research a few years back and found no conclusive 
accounts of poisoning." 

This document marks the berries as Non Poisonous: 
Children Are Berry Curious 
A Guide to the Hazards of Ingestion 
of Raw Berries in Northwest Ohio 
Prepared by the Master Gardeners 
of Hancock County, OH 
http://hancock.osu.edu/hort/mgpdf/cabc2004revised.pdf 

Still, nothing conclusive. 

Date sent: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 21:11:24 -0300 
From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> 
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Mystery plant (picture) 
Send reply to: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 

> Hi Mary & All, Aug 15, 2006 
> I took care to have a glass of water ready and used it at once to 
> rinse everything out of my mouth. Apart from stomach cramps, for an hour 
> or so, there were no ill effects. And perhaps on the plus side, that 
> night I had unusually pleasant dreams (the best since I had pain-killers 
> [morphine ?] after a knee operation 30 years ago) so there may be a 
> euphoriant ingredient in the berries. 
> 
> If any are inclined to experiment with possible mood altering 
> substances in these berries I would suggest extreme caution because the 
> composition of wild plant tissues is very variable. 
> 
> Sweet dreams, Dave Webster, Kentville 
> 
> Mary Macaulay wrote: 
> 
> > Oh dear - you are quite right David and I hope you won't suffer any 
> > ill-efects from your experiment. I've found another reference (the 
> > encyclopedia of north american wild flowers) which says the berries 
> > are very poisonous! It says that the young leaves can be added to 
> > salads or cooked as greens but the older leaves are too tough. 
> > Traditional use in this reference says "poultice of fresh leaves for 
> > burns, sores and og bites, and a tea from the plant ot treat heart 
> > problems and diabetes. The root was used to help with labour. 
> > Mary 
> > 
> > ----Original Message Follows---- 
> > From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> 
> > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
> > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
> > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Mystery plant (picture) 
> > Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2006 20:44:21 -0300 
> > 
> > Hi Mary & All, Aug 13, 2006 
> > I finally remembered to bring some berries home today for a taste 
> > test. One was enough; very soapy and too foul to swallow. It is safe 
> > to assume that the author did not test these berries. Also I wonder 
> > about healthy plant tissue containing a significant amount of acetic 
> > acid. 
> > 
> > Some compendia of edible/medicinal plants are loaded with 
> > misinformation and I wonder if this applies here. 
> > 
> > The young rolled leaves of Clintonia, when they are <5 cm long, are 
> > a pleasant nibble with a cucumber flavor [young leaves cooked are 
> > reputed to make a good potherb but I have never tried this]. With age 
> > the leaves become bitter and, if I recall correctly, the leaves are 
> > seldom fed upon by insects so I suspect latex [it is odd but such 
> > thoughts surface when one is typing an e-mail and not when one has a 
> > plant within reach]. 
> > 
> > Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville 
> > 
> > 
> > Mary Macaulay wrote: 
> > 
> >> 
> >> Hi Rick, 
> >> According to one of my references (Use of Plants for the past 500 
> >> years by Charlotte Erichesen-Brown - p346-347). The native people 
> >> used this plant (probably the roots as they contain diosgenin) for 
> >> treatment of tumours. The berries are said to be sweetish and edible 
> >> containing dextrose, levulose (fructose), tartaric and acetic acid 
> >> and fatty oil (not defined). 
> >> Mary 
> >> 
> >> ----Original Message Follows---- 
> >> From: "Rick Ballard" <RBallard@NL.Rogers.Com> 
> >> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
> >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
> >> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Mystery plant (picture) 
> >> Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 22:08:28 -0230 
> >> 
> >> Interestingly, although the berries of Clintonia borealis are widely 
> >> regarded and reported as 
> >> being poisonous ( even commonly called Poisonberry in NF ), I have 
> >> been unable to find a 
> >> reference that tells exactly what the poison is, or its effects. 
> >> After an hour with Google I 
> >> turned up nothing specific. 
> >> 
> >> It is not listed in "A Field Guide to Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms 
> >> of North America". The 
> >> book has a reference for Corn Lily, but it is a different plant 
> >> altogether. 
> >> 
> >> Some quotes from the web: 
> >> 
> >> "POISONOUS PARTS: Berries suspect, caution. No known cases. Toxic 
> >> Principle: 
> >> Unknown; suspected due to relation to toxic plants. " 
> >> 
> >> "The fruits' toxicity hasn't been confirmed, but a Mi'kmaq tale 
> >> suggests that the whole might 
> >> be toxic." 
> >> 
> >> Wikipedia says: 
> >> "The rhizome contains diosgenin, a saponin steroid with estrogenic 
> >> effects." 
> >> "According to a Mi'kmaq tale, when a grass snake eats a poisonous 
> >> toad, it slithers in rapid 
> >> circles around a shoot of blue-bead lily to transfer the poison to 
> >> the plant." 
> >> 
> >> Does anyone have any more definite information ? 
> >> 
> >> Date sent: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:15:23 -0300 
> >> From: Ken MacAulay <kenmacaulay@eastlink.ca> 
> >> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Mystery plant (picture) 
> >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
> >> Send reply to: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
> >> 
> >> > Jeannie. This looks like Clintonia or blue bead lily. Those pretty 
> >> > blue berries are poisonous. 
> >> > Ken MacAulay 
> >> > Port Mouton 
> >> > 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> -- 
> >> Rick Ballard 
> >> Torbay, Newfoundland, Canada 
> >> http://www.ideaphore.com 

-- 
Rick Ballard
Torbay, Newfoundland, Canada
http://www.ideaphore.com

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