Can I Eat That Garden Plant? Trivia Quiz

Answer: The stalks are edible, but the leaves are poisonous

Confusing, huh? Rhubarb stalks are delicious when stewed in syrup, made into jams or jellies, or baked in pies. Try it in a pie with Granny Smith apples, sugar, and some cinnamon.
The leaves, however, are quite toxic, containing oxalic acid, which is poisonous to the kidneys, and anthraquinone glycosides. Discard the leaves immediately on harvesting and wash the stalks (and your hands, of course) before cooking it.

Answer: Yes, all parts of the oleander are toxic

Nerium oleander is a handsome shrub, coming in mainly white, pink or red-flowering varieties. It also contains toxins in every part of the plant. There are urban myths blaming oleander for wiping out whole groups of people, from a Roman legion lost in North Africa, to an American scout troop which died from the smoke from burning oleander in their campfire.

It is unlikely that any of these stories are true, however it is toxic enough to cause death if ingested in sufficient quantity. There is corroborated evidence of fatal poisoning in children.

It primarily affects heart function, and can cause many other unpleasant and toxic side effects.

Answer: Yes, the leaves, flowers and buds are all edible

Nasturtium buds are very similar in flavour to capers, and can be pickled in brine. Delicious in salads and white sauces; really nice served with white fish. The leaves and flowers make a pretty and peppery addition to salads.
In addition to its culinary delights, the nasturtium, with its bright red, yellow and orange flowers is an attractive garden plant, both in its trailing and its bush form.

Answer: Yes, both the leaves and flowers are edible

The sweet violet (Viola odorata) has been cultivated for centuries, and is valued for its culinary and medicinal uses. Both the leaves and flowers can be used in salads, soups, and sandwiches, while the pretty blue flowers can be sugared and used as cake decorations. A lovely idea is to freeze them into ice-cubes for summer drinks. There is a French violet syrup (very expensive) used to flavour cakes and scones.
Do avoid ingesting the roots, which are somewhat toxic, and can cause stomach upsets.
Traditional medicine utilises violet leaves and flowers in many ways, for many things from lowering cholesterol (the leaves' soluble fibre helps here), as a remedy for insomnia, to a cure for a hacking cough.

Answer: Yes, they can be used fresh or dried in cooking

Bay leaves are highly aromatic and are used to flavour soups, casseroles, pates and roast meats. Remove them before serving the food, as they are tough and highly aromatic.
Bay (Laurus nobilis) leaves were used in ancient Rome to crown emperors and heroes. They also are somewhat toxic to small insects, and can be hung in wardrobes to discourage moths.
Do not make the mistake of cooking with leaves of the mountain laurel or cherry laurel (these look rather similar but are unrelated).

Answer: All lavender is edible, but some varieties are more pleasant than others.

Lavender plants are scattered throughout my garden; together with rosemary, they provide winter food for my bees. Lavender is an ingredient of Herbes de Provence, and is used on its own to flavour cakes, biscuits, drinks and ice cream. It goes well with lemon and honey. I have just found a recipe for lavender roasted potatoes, which looks wonderful. In WWI, soldiers' wounds were bathed with lavender, a known antiseptic. In France, baby lambs are put out to graze on lavender, to tenderize and flavour their meat.
Sprigs of lavender keep linens fresh and sweet-smelling, and a pillow scented with lavender can often help soothe a person to sleep.
The English lavenders and the French lavandins are the most pleasantly flavoured and perfumed, and are the most widely used in sweet foods; many other lavenders are highly camphorated, and would not be to most people's taste (though perfectly safe).

Answer: All parts of the foxglove, flowers, berries and leaves, are extremely poisonous.

Foxglove (Digitalis) contains a powerful ingredient called digitalin, which was described in 1785 as a treatment for heart conditions. If you eat the foxglove, you are taking an uncontrolled dose of heart medicine. It has been synthesised by drug companies and used for congestive heart failure and arrhythmia, but due to safety concerns, use started to decline in the early 21st Century.
Ingested without medical supervision, digitalis can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms, and can even be fatal.

Answer: Aconite is highly toxic. I don't want it in my garden

Also called blue rocket, aconite is extremely poisonous. It is native to the mountain meadows of the Northern hemisphere, and has been traditionally used for large animal hunting by Nepalese, Japanese Ainu, and even Aleuts in Alaska (a lone Aleut hunter in a kayak would poison a lance with the juice of the aconite roots, and paralyse a whale, causing it to drown).

Although it is an attractive plant, related to the delphinium, monkshood is (in my opinion, at least) far too dangerous for a family garden.

Answer: Both the hips and the petals are edible

All roses are edible, but the darker varieties bear a stronger flavour than their lighter cousins. Miniature rose flowers can be used as a garnish in ice cream or desserts, while large petals can be sprinkled on a variety of foods including salads and desserts. As with violet flowers, rose petals can be sugared and used for cake decoration.
At season's end, rose hips can be gathered and turned into a rich syrup or jam (extremely high in Vitamin C). During the lean years of World War II, many country people gathered rose hips to augment their lean food rations.

Answer: Remove it and destroy it (carefully - it is highly toxic)

Cicuta maculata, also known as spotted water hemlock, spotted parsley or spotted cowbane is also called the suicide root by the Iroquois. Native to most of the continent, it is considered to be North America's most toxic plant. It has gained the name cowbane because cattle which have eaten the plant have died in as little as 15 minutes. Eating any part of this plant in any quantity can result in death or permanent damage to the central nervous system. Even if you get rapid treatment for the convulsions, cramping and uncontrollable tremors, there is a chance you will be left with retrograde amnesia.