The Survival Gardener

by David The Good

Plant ID

Plant ID, Survival Plant Profiles, Weeds

Purslane Identification and Uses: A Plant Profile

Purslane Identification and Uses Common Name(s): Purslane Latin Name: Portulaca oleracea Plant Family: Portulacaceae Size: 6-16” Edible: Yes Medicinal: Yes…
Amaranth, Crops, Plant ID, Survival Plant Profiles

Amaranth Identification and Uses: A Plant Profile

Common Name(s): Amaranth, Callaloo, Jamaican Callaloo Latin Name: Amaranthus spp. Plant Family: Amaranthaceae Size: 18” Edible: Yes Medicinal: No Where…
Plant ID, Seeds

Mauritius Beach Seed Identification

My friend Nadia wrote me last month and asked if I could identify some seeds which were given to her…
Plant ID

Bixa orellana, AKA Achiote

Yesterday I happened to walk by a beautiful achiote plant near a hotel. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZelguDHPWy/?taken-by=david_t_good The plant has multiple uses, the…
Crops, Foraging, Plant ID, Survival Plants, Videos, Yams

Wild Edible Chinese Yams in North Carolina

Andrew found me on YouTube and shared pictures of some very familiar edible wild yams he found on his property:…
Plant ID

Health Blogger Poisons Herself During Livestream

Whoops. “Zhang filmed herself eating what she thought was a massive leaf of aloe vera — which is probably not…
Plant ID

A Dumb Mistake

I made a mistake! This is why I don’t forage for gilled mushrooms, with very few exceptions. If I can…
Foraging, Plant ID, Poisonous plants

Eating Death Apples in Paradise

I know I shouldn’t laugh at this woman’s tale, but I did: “Last year I went on holiday with a…
Florida gardening, Foraging, Perennial Vegetables, Plant ID, Yams

Edible Dioscorea bulbifera – Varieties and Info!

Eric Toensmeier mentions edible Dioscorea bulbifera in at least one of his books. Yet the D. bulbifera growing all over…
Mystery plants, Nitrogen-fixers, Plant ID, Trees

Coral Bean’s Big Brother

Coral beans are a common Florida wildflower. On the edge of our homestead here in the tropics, I’ve discovered its…