Description
Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada is a richly illustrated guide that explores the wide variety of plants across Canada that have historically been—and still are—used for food, medicine, and utilitarian purposes. It’s written for a diverse audience including naturalists, educators, foragers, and anyone interested in ethnobotany and the natural heritage of Canada.
Key features include:
- Content on plant uses across cultures: The book covers First Nations’ knowledge of plants, as well as European settler uses—both historical and contemporary. It shows how plants have been used for nourishment, medicine, shelter, clothing, and more.
- Plant entries: Nearly 600 species are covered—trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, mosses, lichens—presented with scientific and common names. Each entry describes where the plant can be found, how it has been used (edible, medicinal, utilitarian), along with cautions.
- Visual aids: More than 800 colour photos and illustrations aid identification. There’s also a special section dedicated to poisonous plants or look-alikes, and warnings about allergies or digestive issues.
- Guidance and ethics: The authors caution that this is not a “how-to” manual for harvesting or consuming wild plants blindly. It underscores the importance of correct identification, understanding toxicity/allergy risks, and gathering plants sustainably—never over-harvesting, avoiding protected areas, etc.
Authors: Andy MacKinnon, Linda Kershaw, John Arnason, Patrick Owen, Amanda Karst, Fiona Hamersley Chambers
Publisher/Edition: Lone Pine Publishing / Partners Publishing; 448 pages.
