An experienced tourist knows that you can only pick and eat berries in the forest that you are sure are safe. It is better not to touch suspicious and unfamiliar ones, because berries, like some mushrooms, can be poisonous. Eating poisonous berries may not be limited to banal food poisoning - many plants are so poisonous that death after eating them occurs within a few days. But with proper theoretical training, learning to distinguish edible from dangerous is quite easy.

How to distinguish poisonous berries from edible ones

We will talk about berries growing in our latitudes, in our forests. This is probably one of the most common dangerous berries.

Poisonous berries pictures, photos.

May lily of the valley

The flowers, which are well known to everyone, produce very poisonous berries containing dangerous glycosides. Eating such berries can cause cardiac arrest, even in a healthy adult man. Lily of the valley berries cannot be confused with anything else, perhaps only with cranberries, lingonberries or dogwoods. Here are just the characteristic leaves of the lily of the valley and small sizes flowers make this difficult. So just remember - you don’t need to touch the lily of the valley berries.

Rice. Lily of the valley and its poisonous berries

Wolf's Bast

The small red berries are extremely different characteristic feature- they grow directly on the stem of the plant, so they can only be confused with sea buckthorn. The differences are that ripe sea buckthorn is bright orange, and wolfberry is deep red. Plus, sea buckthorn leaves are much more elongated in length. Sea buckthorn also produces significantly more berries. But in the early stages, until the berries are ripe, it is quite possible to confuse these plants.

Photo. Wolf's bast - poisonous berries

Crow's eye

Another dangerous berry found in our forests is raven eye. The small black single berry can be easily confused with ordinary blueberries and blueberries. Such a mistake can be not very pleasant for a person, since several berries contain such a dose of saponin, which is enough to cause a person suffering from cardiovascular diseases to stop breathing and heartbeat. Healthy man Most likely he will get away with vomiting and diarrhea. It is quite easy to distinguish this plant - its leaves almost always form an equilateral cross. Also on a similar cross there is usually a lone berry. Although blueberries and blueberries are similar in shape, there are several berries on the bush at once, plus the leaves do not form a cross.

Photo. Crow's eye

Belladonna (belladonna)

Contains atropine, which is widely used in medical purposes. They just contain too much of it, so if ingested, cardiac arrest and paralysis of the respiratory muscles are very possible. Small black berries can easily be confused with bird cherry, since the leaves of these plants are practically the same. But each belladonna berry is surrounded by a rather fleshy stalk. Bird cherry grows on thin tassels, which can contain quite a few berries at the same time.

Photo. Belladonna

Red-fruited crow

All parts of the plant are poisonous. The most toxic are the fruits. Eating just two berries for a child can end tragically. But accidental poisoning by berries is hardly possible; the plant has bad smell, and the berries are very bitter. Signs of poisoning by red crow berries are nausea, dizziness, increased heart rate, severe gastrointestinal upset. The berries can easily be confused with viburnum and rowan. It’s just that in these plants the berry clusters hang down, while in the crowberry they stick out, resembling cones or cobs.

Photo. Red-fruited crow

Nightshade black

Rather, it can be classified as conditionally poisonous. Unripe berries and leaves of nightshade contain a toxic substance - solanidine, which can cause severe poisoning. Poisonous solanidine is not destroyed even with heat treatment. But ripe fruits are not so dangerous; they can be used, but very carefully. Nightshade can be confused with bird cherry, since in both cases the berries grow on tassels. However, in bird cherry the tassel is elongated and all the berries lie sequentially, while in nightshade they stick out on their stalks from almost one point.

Photo. Nightshade black

Nightshade bittersweet

These berries can only be confused with viburnum, rowan or wild red currant. Here you need to look at the stalks - in nightshade they are expressed in the shape of a five-pointed star. In addition, there are usually few berries in a bunch, which cannot be said about the plants mentioned above. Well, the main difference is purple flowers, which are often observed simultaneously with already ripe berries.

Its shiny fruits are very beautiful and appetizing in appearance; on closer inspection they look like very small tomatoes, but they are poisonous, like all above-ground parts. Poisoning is caused by solanine, the same one found in the tops and “berries” of potatoes. In fully ripened fruits, however, solanine disappears and they become harmless. The rest of the nightshade is also poisonous.
The first sign of poisoning in a person who has consumed bittersweet nightshade berries is dizziness. Usually, drooling, nausea and vomiting soon intensify, pain in the pancreas begins to bother you, gradually spreading throughout the abdomen, and diarrhea is possible. In severe poisoning, loss of consciousness is possible, and symptoms appear indicating damage to the nervous system, heart, kidneys and blood.

Photo. Nightshade bittersweet

" Garden

Wild berries are tasty and useful product. Chefs use them to prepare masterpieces, and housewives find use for berries in all areas of life.

You can pick berries throughout the summer, autumn and even winter. The very first to appear are strawberries and wild strawberries. It is better to pick them in early summer, when the berries are ripe and gain flavor. For lingonberries, blueberries, boneberries and blueberries, people go to coniferous forests. Berries such as cranberries and cloudberries grow near damp places. Most often in swamps or near streams or rivers. Raspberries and blackberries will be an excellent dessert. However, when going to the forest, you need to pay attention that not all berries are edible. Poisonous berries are life-threatening! The names of the most popular edible berries are given below.

Cowberry

Richly flavored lingonberries growing in dry areas pine forests. These are small bushes with bright scarlet berries. Lingonberries should be harvested by the end of summer - in the fall, when the berries have plumped up and become a dark coral color. The fruits contain a lot of sugar, so lingonberries make good jams and preserves.. Not only berries are used, but also leaves. They have disinfectant and other beneficial properties.

A plant with shoots creeping along the ground, only 30 cm high. Drupe fruits are very similar in appearance to raspberries, both in shape and color. Each fruit drupe contains one seed. The berry tastes like a ripe pomegranate.. The berry has a wide range of applications. It is often used for drinks and desserts. Tea is made with the leaves. It turns out aromatic, but slightly viscous. Homemade wine is made from the berries and even added to the production of vinegar and shampoos.

These large berries, dark of blue color, easily confused with blueberries. You can distinguish them by the size of the bush. The blueberry bush is 30 cm high, while the blueberry grows on a bush reaching a height of 90 cm. The blueberry pulp is a watery structure with a greenish tint. You can pick berries in various types forests Most often, the berry grows in highlands and mountains. When picking blueberries, you need to carefully ensure that wild rosemary foliage does not get into the basket along with the berries. The leaves are poisonous. Causes drowsiness, dizziness and fainting. Blueberry leaves, on the contrary, contain a lot of beneficial properties. Based on them, teas are brewed, infusions are made and used in cooking.

It is not recommended to give blueberries to children under 1.5 years of age, or to use by lactating and pregnant women. Eating berries is dangerous with the risk of developing diathesis.

One of the most healthy berries. It has a blue-black color. Blueberries are a strong colorant. After eating a handful, you can still see the colored tongue for a long time. Grows on small bushes in moist and shaded areas. The berry is widely used in medicine. Blueberries contain many beneficial properties that help fight the formation of tumors, scurvy, and improve vision. The berry is good for those losing weight. Substances contained in blueberries contribute to the process of accelerating metabolism. It is better to eat the berries fresh, but you can dry or freeze blueberries for the winter.

Due to one-time consumption of berries in large quantities, digestive problems may occur.

A small black berry that resembles a black currant in appearance. You can find it in both shady and sun-warmed areas. Grows on bushes or low trees. Best time for collecting elderberries - late summer - early autumn. At this time, the berries ripen and become most beneficial to humans.

You definitely need to pay attention to the fact that black elderberries contain only beneficial substances, while red ones are poisonous to humans.

Unripe elderberry fruits, foliage and flowers are dangerous. IN medicinal purposes berries are used in dried and processed form. To preserve elderberries for the winter, you need to pay attention to storage conditions. The berry is quite susceptible to temperature and humidity.

Cranberry

Small, creeping shrubs that have an evergreen color. The berries are distributed in all corners of the globe, but the best climatic conditions for wild cranberries are high humidity and low temperature. The fruits have thick skin and a fiery red color. The berry has a specific, sour taste. Typically, cranberry harvesting begins in August, but the fruits can last on the plant until the beginning of spring, while retaining all the beneficial substances, and cranberries contain quite a few of them. Has great value as medicinal plant, used in cooking for preparing drinks and various dishes. It has the ability to be stored for a long time in frozen and dried forms.

Berries are contraindicated for people with intestinal diseases and acid-sensitive tooth enamel.

Advantages and disadvantages

All varieties and types of garden berries were bred on the basis of their forest ancestors. However, berries grown in garden conditions, do not receive that unique set of elements as when growing in the forest. It has long been known that wild berries are tastier and healthier. They are often used in pharmacology and medicine.

The main beneficial properties of wild berries are:

1. Berries growing in wild forests are not contaminated by civilization. They absorb the beneficial substances provided by nature and the plants around them, without the addition of chemicals or fertilizers.

Wild berries are an environmentally friendly product

1. Fruit contain a large number of antioxidants, which remove toxins from the body, help maintain a figure in good shape, slow down aging, prevent diseases of the cardiovascular system, deterioration of general well-being, apathy, and sleep disorders.
2. Berries do not accumulate heavy metals. All harmful substances are retained in the roots, stems, and leaves of plants. Therefore, when collecting leaves, you should pay attention to whether there are any industrial enterprises or highways nearby.
3. Eating wild berries allows you to preserve consumed vitamins for a long time. Which is the key to good health in winter.
4. Many berries are significantly reduce the risk of malignant tumors.
5. Antiseptic properties of fruits useful for those who suffer from bladder and kidney diseases.
6. Blueberry contains substances that reduce the likelihood of blood clots in blood vessels and the development of atherosclerosis.
7. When eating wild berries visual acuity improves. Researchers have proven that with daily consumption of natural forest berries, in a modern lifestyle, good vision is maintained up to 55 - 60 years.
8. Berries such as raspberries are often used as an antipyretic.. When sweat is released, the body cleanses itself of substances accumulated due to improper lifestyle. Raspberries strengthen the immune system, which makes it possible to more effectively fight colds and other viral diseases.

Raspberries are a good antipyretic

1. Not only berries have medicinal properties, but also foliage, flowers, and sometimes plant roots. Based on them, infusions are made and teas are brewed. Plant parts can be used either fresh or dried.. The leaves have the ability to lower blood sugar.
2. Eating red berries helps increase hemoglobin in the blood. This is especially useful for older people. Before use, you need to pay attention to contraindications, if any.
3. Of course, wild berries have a real rich smell and taste. They absorb the aromas of the forest: pine needles, grass and others. Can be used for making desserts, sauces, drinks. Berry treats will be useful for children. They will help strengthen and protect the child’s body from harm.

Wild berries have few disadvantages, which are lost against the background of the list of advantages. But it’s still worth paying attention to them.

Berries should be consumed in moderation. Fanatical use of berries in all areas of life can lead to health problems:

1. Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
2. The appearance of rashes, redness, and the subsequent development of allergies
3. The emergence of dental problems: destruction of tooth enamel, development of caries, increased sensitivity.

People with diseases of the pancreas and liver should be careful when consuming berries, since an excess of certain substances can negatively affect the organs.

Wild berries are a storehouse of nutrients and taste qualities. Their moderate use can give long life, reduce the risk of diseases and simply strengthen the body. And of course, wild aromatic berries will be a good addition to culinary masterpieces.

Wild berries are much healthier than cultivated berries. Wild berries grow in natural conditions, are not treated with drugs, and do not contain radionuclides or heavy metals. Wild forest berries provide a full range of minerals, vitamins and other beneficial elements. However, in the forest you can find not only, but also or not edible berries. Let's take a closer look at which berries are inedible and why it is better not to eat such wild berries.

Juniper berries are inedible, and Cossack juniper berries can cause serious poisoning

Juniper is an inedible berry

• Common juniper- evergreen large shrub or small tree up to 3 m high. The trunk is covered with grayish-brown flaky bark. The leaves are needle-shaped, linear-subulate, spiny, widely spaced and collected in whorls of three. Flowers - in the form of a dioecious cone, blooms in June. The fruit is a juicy coneberry, green in color, ovoid in shape in the first year of life, and black-blue, spherical in the second year, with a shiny waxy coating, equipped with a three-ray groove at the top. The size of the cone berry is 7-9 mm. Its pulp contains 2-3 greenish-brown triangular seeds, which ripen in the fall of the second year. Grows in soils with moderate or high humidity, prefers coniferous, especially composite forests, found in clearings, clearings, on the edges and forest clearings.
• Juniper dahurian- a less common species, found in small groups or singly in some areas of the Khabarovsk Territory. Grows on rocky slopes, placers and rocks.
• Siberian juniper is a densely branching shrub up to 1 m high with shortened internodes, due to which the whorls of leaves are significantly closer together. The leaves are shorter and wider and pressed to the branches. The cone berries are larger and have a more pronounced bluish tint.
• Juniper Cossack- a widespread shrub with very thin branches of the last order. The bark is reddish-gray, the leaves are rhombic, tightly adjacent to the branches and to each other, they have a pit on the convex side. The fruits are round-oval, up to 7 mm in diameter, brownish with a bluish coating, contain 2-6 seeds inside. Poisonous!

Juniper berries are inedible

Juniper berries (cone berries) are not used for food, but are used in Food Industry in the production of fruit drinks, sweets, gingerbreads, beer and some alcoholic beverages, and pine needles and fruits - for smoking meat products. Particular care should be taken with Cossack juniper, since all parts of the plant are poisonous due to the content of significant amounts of poisonous sabine oil. Even small doses of this plant taken orally cause vomiting and diarrhea, and large doses cause damage to the kidneys and central nervous system (loss of consciousness, convulsions, paralysis). Possible death.

Juniper as a medicinal plant

Juniper is a powerful medicinal plant and has long been used in folk medicine for a wide variety of diseases. Juniper was used for edema, kidney diseases, bladder diseases, cholelithiasis and kidney stones, malaria, gout, rheumatism, stomach diseases, pulmonary diseases (tuberculosis, bronchitis), and some skin lesions. In places where juniper grows, as noted, the air is especially clean and healthy, and this is explained by the fact that the plant secretes strong phytoncides.

In modern medicine, juniper fruits are used as an antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and disinfectant, diuretic, diaphoretic, analgesic, stone-dissolving, choleretic, expectorant, and digestive improver.

Juniper cones are harvested in the fall when they are fully ripe by knocking or shaking them onto a tarpaulin spread under the bush. The fruits are sorted, slightly dried in the open air and dried in attics, sheds or under a canopy. They must be stirred frequently during drying. Drying in ovens or dryers cannot be done, since when the berries dry quickly, they lose their medicinal properties.

Elderberries are not poisonous, but are inedible

Red elderberry - inedible berry

Elderberry is a herbaceous, shrubby, woody plant growing in temperate and subtropical zones. There are about 40 species. 11 species grow in Russia, in particular Siberian red elderberry - medicinal and ornamental plant. It is a shrub with a height of 1.5 to 5 m. It is found in sparse, coniferous and mixed forests with sufficiently moist soil, along the edges, shady slopes of ravines and river banks. The bark of the branches is grayish-brown. The leaves are opposite, unequally pinnate, compound, with 2-3 pairs of leaflets. In spring, the leaves turn purple due to the increased anthocyanin content. The flowers are small, greenish at first, later yellowish-white, collected in large panicle inflorescences sticking up.

Red elderberries are inedible

The fruits of the red elderberry are bright red, fleshy berries with fleshy pulp and yellowish seeds. The leaves, bark and flowers have an unpleasant odor, and the berries taste unpleasant. The berries are not poisonous, but are not suitable for human food, although they are readily eaten by birds.

Red elderberry as a medicinal plant

IN official medicine elderberry has not yet found use, but in folk culture it is used to obtain analgesic, diaphoretic, antitussive, emetic, diuretic, and laxative effects.

Buckthorn berries are inedible, but buckthorn bark has medicinal properties

Buckthorn is an inedible berry

Buckthorn is a plant in the form of a tree or shrub, up to 4.5-5 meters high. It is found in forest clearings and clearings; it loves damp places next to alder. It begins to bloom in May - June and blooms all summer until September. Therefore, on one buckthorn bush or tree you can see flowers at the same time, flower buds, green, red and black berries. Having encountered such a plant in the forest, even an ignorant person will immediately understand that it is a buckthorn.

Buckthorn berries are inedible

Buckthorn berries are inedible for humans, no one collects them, and they are all left for seeds. But buckthorn berries are a delicacy for the bear, which eats them in large quantities. Buckthorn berries are also readily eaten by birds. They are the sowers of buckthorn in the forest. Many people consider buckthorn fruits to be poisonous, this is due to their strong emetic and laxative effects.

Buckthorn as a medicinal plant

In addition, the bark has medicinal properties and is used in medicine. In medicine, a decoction or extract from buckthorn bark is used as a good laxative for spasmodic colitis and atonic constipation, to regulate intestinal activity, for hemorrhoids, rectal fissures, etc. Buckthorn bark is part of the gastric and laxative tea.

The bark is harvested in May - June, during sap flow. For medicinal purposes, it is prohibited to use fresh or freshly dried bark, which can cause harmful effects in the gastrointestinal tract. Suitable for medicinal use The bark is considered after one or two years of storage.

Buckthorn bark and berries are of economic and industrial importance. In industry, juice from buckthorn berries was previously used to make yellow and green watercolor paints. Due to the significant tannid content in the bark, it is used for tanning leather.

First aid for berry poisoning

The very first aid for poisoning by poisonous or inedible berries is to stimulate vomiting - this procedure will free the stomach from the poisonous contents. To do this, the victim needs to be given 2-4 glasses of water (you can add activated carbon to it - 2 tablespoons per 500 ml, salt - 1 teaspoon per 500 ml or potassium permanganate). The procedure will have to be carried out several times. In the presence of medicines It is recommended to give the patient activated carbon, tannin, as well as any laxative and cardiac remedy. If you have seizures, you will have to use chloral hydrate. If there is no first aid kit, you can give the patient black crackers, starch solution or milk. It would also not hurt to do an enema (if possible). The victim should be wrapped warmly and taken to a doctor.

Poisonous berries in pictures

15 07.18

Black berries! Which ones are edible and which ones are poisonous?

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Black fruits on bushes and trees are a mystery to many people. Most do not know their names, properties, or the ability to eat them. Black berries are often very tasty and healthy fruits. However, no less often you can find poisonous fruits, the consumption of which can lead to dire consequences.

Types of berries and their beneficial properties

As a rule, berries contain a lot of useful microelements(carbohydrates, nutritional elements) and are recommended for use in the treatment various diseases.

According to the generally accepted classification, berries are divided into the following types:

• berries;
• apple - in addition to apples, it includes pear and rowan fruits;
• pumpkin - those fruits that grow on melons, pumpkins, zucchini;
• oranges are citrus fruits.

How to distinguish edible wild berries from inedible ones

It is very difficult to distinguish such berries by appearance. However, there are a number of signs that you need to pay attention to:

• Poisonous berries most often taste bitter, non-poisonous ones have a pleasant taste and are juicy;
• Before trying the berry, you need to carefully consider the space next to the bush or tree. If there are signs that birds have pecked the berries, then there is a high probability that they can be eaten;
• Poisonous berries are usually small, have a shiny surface and a red-black color.

Main types of edible garden and forest berries

Among garden and forest berries, the most popular edible fruits are: elderberry, chokeberry, bird cherry, honeysuckle, blackberry, mulberry, black raspberry and currant, blueberry, blueberry, juniper.

All these fruits have beneficial properties to one degree or another and are recommended for the treatment of various human diseases.

Poisonous wild berries

When walking through the forest, it is very important to be able to identify berries that can be harmful to the body, cause intoxication, and in some cases, death.

Here are the main representatives of such berries:

• Maiden grapes are similar in appearance to homemade grapes. It bears fruit with small berries with a sharp and tart taste. Minor consumption will not cause harm, but will not add any benefit either;
• Nightshade is a berry that resembles a small tomato. They grow on herbaceous bushes, it is strictly forbidden to eat them, they are poisonous;
• Brittle buckthorn - similar to bird cherry, poisonous, consumption is prohibited;
• Voronets spike-shaped - has similarities with mountain ash and bird cherry. When consumed, it inflames the mucous membranes of the human body, and when it comes into contact with the skin, it causes watery blisters;
• Privet (“ wolfberry") - black berries, similar to bird cherry, grow on bushes. Highly poisonous, consumption is prohibited;
• Belladonna is extremely poisonous and consumption can be fatal.

Poisoning with inedible berries: signs and assistance

The main signs of poisoning by inedible berries include the following:

• Increased heart rate, dizziness, malaise;
• abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, upset;
• convulsions.

If such signs appear in a person, it is necessary to call the rescue service, and before its arrival, try to provide first aid to the victim.
First of all, it is necessary to induce vomiting to cleanse the body of the effects of poisons. After that take the pills activated carbon(1 tablet per 10 kg of human weight) or other absorbent. It is also recommended to take a laxative to completely cleanse the body of the toxic substance. After which, the victim is wrapped up and given sweet hot tea.

When going into the forest to pick berries, do not forget that not all of them are edible. You can often find those whose consumption, at best, will cause an upset stomach, and at worst, provoke poisoning with serious consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to have reliable information about which wild berries are edible and what they look like. Names of edible berries and their photos from brief description– to your attention on this page.

Edible lingonberries and blackberries

Common lingonberry(Vaccinium vitis idaea L.) belongs to the lingonberry family.

These edible berries are different regions Russia has different names: boletus (Ryazan), boletus, lingonberry, bruzhinitsa, torment (Grodn.), lingonberry, lingonberries (Malor.), brusnyaga (Belor.), brusnyaga (Vyatsk.), brusnyag, brusena (Kostr.), brusenya (Tver. ), core (Mogil.).

Spreading. In Northern and Central Russia, in the Urals, the Caucasus, Siberia; in forests and between bushes.

Description. An evergreen branched shrub, 10-15 cm. As can be seen in the photo, these edible berries have leathery, obovate leaves with curved edges, dotted with dotted pits below. Whitish or pinkish flowers at the ends of last year's branches - in drooping clusters; corolla bell-shaped, 4-toothed; calyx 4-partite, of three triangular acute lobes. Stamens 8, anthers hairy, without appendages; the style is longer than the corolla. The ovary is 4-locular. The fruit is a berry. The berries are initially greenish-white, then bright red.

These edible wild berries bloom in May and June.

Gray blackberry (Rubus caesius L.) belongs to the Rosaceae family.

The name of these edible berries in different Russian regions: Dereza, Dubrovka (Viteb.), Blackberry, Black Blackberry, Zhevika (Penz.), Zhivika (Don.), Yazhevika, Zhevika (Penz.), Zhevina (Mogil.), Zheviny berries (Belor.), Zhovinnik (Mogil. ), ozhina (Crimea), ozhinnik, ezhina (Malor.), azhina (Belor.), kamanika, kamenika, kumanika, kumanikha (Velikoros.), bear (Orl.), sarabalina, chill.

Spreading. In Central and Southern Russia and the Caucasus; in forests and between bushes. In gardens - with black, dark red and yellow fruits.

Description. A thorny shrub 1-3 m long. The stems are woody, erect or arched, angular, with straight or downward-curved strong thorns. The leaves are odd-pinnate, green above, gray-fluffy below, on barren shoots with 5, on fruiting shoots - with 3 leaflets. The flowers are white or pink, collected in clusters at the ends of the branches. The flowers are right. The calyx is 5-partite, adherent to the flat receptacle. Lepestkov 5; there are many stamens and pistils; columns filamentous, lateral. The fruits are mixed - black, shiny; the drupes are fused with the convex part of the receptacle.

Blooms in summer. Honey plant.

Edible wild berries of drupes and blueberries

Stone berry (Rubus saxatilis L.) belongs to the Rosaceae family.

Often these edible berries in the forest are called: kamenika, kamenka, kamenitsa, kamenitsya (Malor.), kamenichnik, drupes (Arch.), kostyanika (Penz.), kostyanitsa, kostyanitsya (Malor.), kostyanichnik, komenitsya, kostyaniga, brambles, kotsezele (Grodn.), raspberry stone .

Spreading. In European Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia; in forests and between bushes.

Description. Perennial herbaceous plant. The stems and branches are lined with thin spines and protruding hairs. The leaves are trifoliate, long-petiolate. The flowers are white, collected in a shield at the top of the stem. The calyx is 5-partite, with spinously pointed lanceolate lobes. Corolla 5-petalled; petals are small, linear-oblong. There are many stamens. Pistil made of many carpels; threadlike columns. Look at the photo of these edible wild berries: the fruit consists of a small number of large red drupes.

Blueberry(Vaccinium uliginosum). Other names are dove and gonobobel, drunkard, drunkard, fool.

Spreading. Grows in peat bogs, promoting the formation of peat, in cold and temperate countries; comes across here on Novaya Zemlya.

Description. A small shrub from the lingonberry family. Blueberry branches are round, the leaves are obovate, falling off in the winter, the corollas of five-petal flowers are ovoid, white with a pink tint, the anthers of the stamens have two horns at the back. The berries are black with a blue coating, green inside.

Blueberries are edible; jam is made from them and dried.

Edible berries in the forest cloudberries and blueberries

Speaking about which berries are edible, one cannot help but recall the “queen of the Siberian swamps” - the cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.), which belongs to the Rosaceae family.

Other names for cloudberries: vlak, vakhlachka, glazhevina (berries), glazhevnik (Psk., Kursk.), ironing (Novg., Olon.), glyzhi (Psk.), glazhinnik (Psk., Kursk.), glazhinina, glazhina (Psk., Novg. .), Glazovnik, Glazovye (Novg.), Kamenitsa, Komanitsa, Kumanitsa (Tver.), Kumanikha, Kumanika (Tver.), Kumanichina (Novg.), Yellow raspberry, Medvezhanik, Moklaki, Mokhlaki (Kostr.), Morozska ​​( Tver.), cloudberry, muroshka, moss currant, rokhkachi (unripe cloudberry in Arch.).

Spreading. In Central and Southwestern Russia and Siberia; on peat bogs.

Description. Perennial herbaceous plant, 8-15 cm. Creeping rhizome. The stem is erect, simple, with a single white flower at the apex. The leaves are rounded, kidney-shaped, five-lobed. The calyx is simple, with 5 sepals; corolla 5-petalled, petals heart-shaped. There are many stamens, together with the petals, attached to the edges of the convex receptacle. The pistil is one of many carpels. The fruit is a complex drupe. Immature - red, mature - orange-yellow. The fruits are edible and contain large amounts of vitamin C.

Blooms in May, June.

Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) from the lingonberry family.

Chernitsa (Belor.), bilberry, bilberry, blueberry, chernets (Grodn.), chernega (Volog., Sarat.), chernitsov (Grodn.), dristukha berry (Tver.).

Spreading. In Northern and Central Russia, in Little Russia, in the Caucasus, throughout Siberia; in forests.

Description. A low shrub, 15-30 cm, with leaves that fall off in winter, has a woody horizontal fibrous root, from which a woody brown erect branched stem extends upward. The branches are green, planed. The leaves are alternate, short-cut, ovate, obtuse or slightly pointed, finely crenate-serrate, light green on both sides, with reticulated veins below. The flowers are bisexual, suprapistal, regular, small, drooping, on short pedicels, on young shoots solitary in the axils of the lower leaves. The calyx is suprapistal, in the form of an entire or 4-5-toothed annular ridge above the ovary, which is also preserved on the fruit. The corolla is greenish with a pink tint, disappears after flowering, almost spherical, with a 5- or 4-toothed edge, the teeth are bent outward. Stamens, 10 or 8, free, shorter than the corolla, with thin, inwardly curved stamen filaments emanating from the circumference of the suprapistil disc and 2-locular anthers, bearing 2 setae-like appendages on the back and continued at the top
each in 2 tubes, opening at the ends with holes. The ovary is inferior, 5- or 4-celled, with an axial placenta, in each socket with several ovules, covered at the top (inside the flower) by a flat suprapistal disc; from the middle rises a thread-like column, slightly protruding from the throat of the corolla, ending in a simple stigma. The fruit is a spherical, pea-sized, 5- or 4-locular juicy, black with a bluish berry, crowned with a cup-shaped ridge and a column that remains for some time, containing several small seeds. Seeds with reddish-yellow skin. The embryo is median, almost straight, with the root facing downwards.

Blooms in May and June; the berries ripen in July and August.

Currants, hawthorn and honeysuckle are edible wild berries.

Currant (Ribes) widespread in flat European Russia, three species grow wild, in the Caucasus - six, more of them grow in Siberia, especially Eastern.

Description. A genus of plants from the gooseberry family, distinguished by the following characteristics: shrubs with alternate, simple leaves. Flowers are arranged in racemes. The flower bed is concave, fused with the ovary and turning at the edges into five usually greenish sepals. There are also five petals, free. There are the same number of stamens. The ovary is single-locular, multi-seeded. There are two columns. The fruit is a berry.

The most famous types of currants are: black currants (Ribes nigrum) and red currants (Ribes rubrum), which both grow wild in northern Europe and Siberia. The difference between them, in addition to the color of the berries, is that black currant leaves and berries are extremely fragrant from essential oil, consisting of special glands that cover the lower surface of the leaves especially thickly.

Various syrups and liqueurs are also made from blackcurrant juice. The berries from many other types of currants are also eaten, but in small quantities, and they are collected from wild specimens.

Hawthorn (Crataegus)- a shrub from the Rosaceae family.

Spreading. It is found wildly throughout Central Europe and is often grown in gardens.

Description. The leaves are always split, lobed, pinnately incised, and wedge-shaped at the base. Some species have branches with thorns. The flowers, about 1.5 cm in diameter, like all Rosaceae, are white, with five parts of a calyx and corolla, many stamens and a two- to five-locular ovary, collected in whorled inflorescences, like those of rowan. The fruits are drupes, similar to rowan, but lacking its aroma and taste.

Edible honeysuckle (Lonicera edulis)

Description. Shrubs are erect, climbing or creeping, with opposite entire leaves, the main representatives of the honeysuckle family. More than 100 species are known from almost all areas of the Northern Hemisphere. There are fourteen wild species in Russia. Quite large flowers (white, pinkish, yellowish and blue) are most often located in pairs in the corners of leaves or at the ends of branches in capitate inflorescences. An irregular tubular corolla emerges from the poorly developed calyx, divided at the end into five lobes. The irregularity of flowers built according to a quintuple plan depends on the fusion of the three front petals and their uneven development, as a result of which the corolla is two-lipped. The corolla tube contains five stamens and a long pistil style. The berry-shaped fruits sit in pairs and often grow together. The upper leaves of some species grow together, forming one common plate or wide edge, through which the end of the branch passes.

Many types of honeysuckle are often grown in gardens as beautiful ornamental shrubs, well suited for groups, alleys and gazebos. Russian species bloom in early summer, that is, at the end of May and until mid-June. In Central Russia it is quite often found along forest edges and groves.

When talking about which wild berries are edible, do not forget that only the fruits of Lonicera edulis can be eaten, and the fruits of Lonicera xylosteum are not edible.

Sea buckthorn and buckthorn are edible berries in the forest

Sea ​​buckthorn(Hippophae)- a genus of plants from the sucker family.

Spreading. In the wild, it is distributed in Northern and Central Europe, in Siberia to Transbaikalia and in the Caucasus. It is grown in gardens and parks, mainly as an ornamental plant.

Description. Shrubs, mostly thorny, up to three to six meters tall. Their leaves are alternate, narrow and long, grayish-white on the underside due to the star-shaped scales densely covering them. The flowers appear before the leaves, they are unisexual, small, inconspicuous and sit crowded at the base of the young shoots, one at a time in the axil of the covering scales. Plants are dioecious. The perianth is simple, bifid. IN male flower The receptacle is flat, in the female one it is concave and tubular. There are four stamens (very rarely 3), one pistil, with an upper, unilocular, single-seeded ovary and a bifid stigma. The fruit is false (drupe), consisting of a nut covered with an overgrown, juicy, fleshy, smooth and shiny receptacle.

There are two known species, the most famous of which is ordinary (buckthorn) sea ​​​​buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), waxweed, dereza, and waterthorn, growing along the seashore, along the banks of streams.

The beauty of this plant is determined mainly by linear-lanceolate leaves, the upper surface of which is green and small-pointed, and the lower surface, like the young branches, is silver-gray or rusty-golden with star-shaped scales. The flowers are inconspicuous, appear in early spring. The fruits are fleshy, orange, the size of a pea, and are used for tinctures and jam.

Several varieties are known, female specimens are especially valued, since in the fall they become very beautiful from the fleshy fruits covering them. Sea buckthorn grows on sandy soil and is propagated by root suckers and cuttings.

Buckthorn (Frangula).

Description. Trees or shrubs with alternate or opposite, sometimes leathery, perennial leaves. The flowers are small, mostly greenish, bisexual or heterogeneous; the number of parts is five or four. The receptacle is concave, often tubular, the ovary is free, three- or four-locular. The fruit is a drupe containing from two to four seeds, sometimes invisibly opening, the pericarp is fleshy or almost dry. Seeds with protein. There are 60 known species of buckthorn, distributed mainly in countries with temperate climates.

Used in medicine various varieties buckthorn (brittle, American and prickly). All of these drugs are used as mild laxatives, mostly in the form of infusion or liquid extract.

The following are economically worthy of attention growing wildly in our country:

Buckthorn brittle (Frangulaalnus), barkweed, medvezhina - a shrub up to 3-4.5 meters tall, found throughout Russia on fresh, fertile soil, which tolerates the shading of the canopy of tall trees and produces light reddish wood, the coal from which is used to prepare gunpowder. Propagated by seeds (seedlings after a year), cuttings and root suckers.

Buckthorn laxative, prickly, zhoster, proskurina and other local names, common in Central and Southern Russia and the Caucasus, up to 15 meters high. Prefers moist soils and is especially suitable for hedges. The hard wood (specific gravity 0.72) is used for small carpentry and turning products, while the bark is used as wood and for painting - fresh, bright yellow, dry, brown.

Edible forest berries viburnum and rowan

Kalina.

Description. Deciduous shrub from the honeysuckle family. Leaves are opposite, simple, entire, serrated or lobed. The flowers are collected in whorled inflorescences, with a regular wheel-shaped corolla, five stamens and a three-locular ovary, two of which never develop, and from the third comes a drupe fruit with one flattened seed (stone), surrounded by a cartilaginous-fleshy shell of various shapes.

Up to eighty species are known, widely distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Our common viburnum (Viburnum opulus) is a shrub with angular-lobed, serrated leaves on star-shaped petioles. The flowers are white, and the outer ones in the inflorescence are mostly sterile, but their corolla is four or five times larger than the middle, fertile ones. The drupe is red, elliptical, flattened. Its fruits, after freezing, are edible. Flowers and bark are used traditional medicine in the form of teas, decoctions, infusions. The wood is hard and is sometimes used for small turning products. It grows throughout Russia, less often in the north, along forest edges and in open areas. Garden varieties: with reddish branches and variegated leaves, dwarf, double with pinkish flowers and “snowball”, in which all the flowers are large, sterile, collected in spherical inflorescences. Black viburnum, or gourdovina, is found wildly in the southern half of Russia, especially in the Caucasus, and is more often bred and runs wild. Its leaves are oval, wrinkled, soft fluffy below, like the petioles and young branches. All flowers are small and fertile. The fruit is black, oval.

Straight young trunks with hard wood, a wide core and tightly pressed semi-cork bark are used for making chibouks, sticks, and sometimes for weaving baskets and hoops. The so-called bird glue is boiled from the bark of the roots, and the leaves are used to dye it straw-yellow.

Rowan (Sorbus)- genus woody plants rose family.

Spreading. There are about 100 species of rowan in the world, about a third of which grow in Russia.

Description. The leaves are large, odd-pinnate, with 11-23 almost sessile, oblong, sharply serrated, hairy when young, then almost glabrous. Numerous white flowers are collected in corymbose inflorescences. The inflorescences emit a specific smell. The fruit is spherical or oval, bright red in color with small seeds. The fruits contain a lot of vitamin C.

Are the berries of barberry, bird cherry and rose hips edible?

Barberry (Berberis)- a genus of shrubs of the barberry family.

Spreading. It is found in the north of Russia to St. Petersburg, as well as in Southern and Central Europe, Crimea, the Caucasus, Persia, Eastern Siberia, and North America. Some species are found in Central Asia, including in the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in Kazakhstan. On page 250: Barberry

Description. Evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous shrubs, with thin, erect, ribbed shoots. The bark is brownish or brownish-gray. The leaves are collected in bunches, 4 on short shoots. The leaves are ovate, articulated with a short petiole, finely ciliated or entire. Flowers in racemes on short lateral branches. Corolla of 6 yellow petals, 6 stamens, 1 pistil. Fruit - berry, ovoid or spherical, 0.8-1.2 cm long, black or red. The seeds are rolled, ribbed, brown, 4-6 mm long.

Many people are interested in whether barberry berries are edible and how they can be used? The fruits of this plant are used in cooking, often in dried form as a seasoning for meat, for preparing sauces and infusions. Honey plant.

Bird cherry (Padus avium).

Description. A woody plant from the rose family, growing wild in shrubs and forests throughout Russia, up to the White Sea. The branched stem reaches up to 10 m in height. Leaves are alternate, oblong-elliptic, pointed, sharply serrate, stipules are epileptose; at the top of the petiole at the base of the plate there are two glands. White (less often pinkish) fragrant flowers collected in long drooping brushes. There are five sepals and petals, many stamens, and one pistil. The fruit is a black drupe.

Suffice it to remember beneficial properties fruits of this plant, and the answer to the question “are bird cherry berries edible” will become obvious: this is an excellent restorative gift of the forest, very useful for the stomach and intestines.

Rosehip (Rubus canina).

Dog rose, growing wild, is known under the common name “rosehip”. In European Russia, there are several wild (“rose hips”) species, the most common of which are: rose hips, sirbarinnik, serbolina, chiporas, rose hips, and shishipa.

Description. This is a shrub up to 2 m tall, growing in the forest, along ravines and fields. The branches are spiny, young ones have straight subulate-shaped thorns, old ones have bent thorns, located on flowering branches in pairs at the base of the petioles. The leaf consists of five to seven oval or oblong serrated glaucous leaves on the underside. The flowers are large, pink, single or collected in threes (less often four or five). The sepals are entire, longer than the petals and converging upward when fruiting. The receptacle of the fruit is smooth, spherical, red.

Previously, its roots were used against rabies, hence Latin name"canina" (dog rose). Rose hips contain a large amount of vitamin C, and they are used in the form of infusion, syrup for the prevention and vitamin deficiency.