From backpacking and camping to skiing and snowboarding, there are plenty of activities outdoors in the Colorado high country. If you find yourself wandering around and lost without food in the mountains, there are several wild plants that you can eat. 

However, before you consume the delectable greens, there are a few precautions to take.

• Do not eat any wild plants unless you can positively identify them. There are iOS and Android apps that you can download prior to your hike to help distinguish plants, such as PictureThis and NatureID. 
• Be aware of environmental factors such as pollution or animal waste. Avoid popular wild animal gathering areas.
• Make sure you’re not allergic to the plant by rubbing it against your skin and observing for a reaction. If so, do not eat the plant. Before ingesting a large quantity, eat a small amount and check for a reaction. 

It may be difficult to cook if you did not come prepared with a portable stove, pots, and water, which could limit ways to enjoy vegetation. Here is a list of edible plants, how to identify them, where can they be found, and which part you can eat.

Wild plants

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale): yellow ray florets that spread outward from center with toothy, deep-notched, hairless basal leaves and hollow stems. They can be found everywhere and anywhere. Every part of the dandelion plant is edible including the leaves and roots.

Pineapple Weed/ Wild Chamomile (Matricaria discoidea): the flower heads are cone-shaped and yellowish-green and do not have petals. Often found near walking paths and roadsides, harvest away from disturbed, polluted areas. If you’re feeling anxious about being lost, pineapple weed promotes  relaxation and sleep and serves as a  digestive aid.

Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium): vibrant fuchsia flowers. Grows in disturbed areas and near recent burn zones. Eat the leaves when they are young as  adult leaves can stupefy you. Young shoot tips and roots are also edible. 

Wild onions (Allium cernuum): look for pink, lavender to white flowers with a strong scent of onion. They grow in the subalpine terrain and are found on moist hillsides and meadows. Caution: do not confuse with death camas. If it doesn’t smell like an onion and has pink flowers, it is not likely an onion.

Cattails (Typha latifolia or Typha angustifolia): typically 5-10 feet tall. Mature flower stalks resemble the tail of a cat. Grow by creek, river, ponds, and lakes. This whole plant is edible, from the top to the roots. Select from pollution-free areas as it is known to absorb toxins in the surrounding water.

Wild berries:

Wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana): they are tiny compared to  store-bought. Can be identified by their blue-green leaves; small cluster of white flowers with a yellow center; and slightly hairy, long and slender red stems.

Huckleberries (Vaccinium spp): They grow in the high mountain acidic soil and flourish in the forest grounds underneath small, oval-shaped, pointed leaves. They resemble blueberries and have a distinguishable “crown” structure at the bottom of the berry. They can be red, maroon, dark blue, powder-blue, or purple-blue to almost black, and they range from translucent to opaque.

Oregon grapes (Mahonia aquifolium): powder-blue berries, resembling juniper berries or blueberries, with spiny leaves similar to hollies that may have reddish tints.

Fun fact: The roots and bark of the plant contain a compound called berberine. Berberine has antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic properties.

Mushrooms

True morels (Morchella spp.): cone-shaped top with lots of deep crevices resembling a sponge. They will be hollow inside. A false morel will have a similar appearance on the outside but will not be hollow on the inside and are toxic. Morels are commonly found at the edge of forested areas where ash, aspen, elm, and oak trees live. Dead trees (forest wildfires) and old apple orchards are prime spots for morels.

Porcini (Boletus edulis): brown-capped mushrooms with thick, white stalks. Found at  high elevations of 10,500 and 11,200 ft in  areas with monsoon rains and sustained summer heat.

There are many more edible plants, flowers, berries, and mushrooms in the mountains. These are just 10 that can be easily identifiable and common in the Western Colorado landscapes. I recommend trying out the apps listed above and reading “Wild Edible Plants of Colorado” by Charles W. Kane, which includes 58 plants from various regions, each with details of use and preparation. Hopefully this post made you feel more prepared for your next adventure. 

Resources:

Davis, E., 2022. Fall plant tour: Frisco, CO | Wild Food Girl. [online] Wildfoodgirl.com. Available at: <https://wildfoodgirl.com/2012/eleven-edible-wild-plants-from-frisco-trailhead/> [Accessed 10 July 2022].

McGuire, P., 2022. 8 Delicious Foods to Forage in Colorado | Wild Berries…. [online] Uncovercolorado.com. Available at: <https://www.uncovercolorado.com/foraging-for-food-in-colorado/> [Accessed 10 July2022].

Rmhp.org. 2022. Edible Plants On The Western Slope | RMHP Blog. [online] Available at: <https://www.rmhp.org/blog/2020/march/foraging-for-edible-plants> [Accessed 10 July 2022].

Lifescapecolorado.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://lifescapecolorado.com/2014/01/edible-plants-of-colorado/> [Accessed 10 July 2022].

Pfaf.org. 2022. Plant Search Result. [online] Available at: <https://pfaf.org/user/DatabaseSearhResult.aspx> [Accessed 10 July 2022].

Cindy Hinh is a second-year Physician Assistant student at Red Rocks Community College in Arvada, CO. She grew up in southern Louisiana and received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Louisiana State University. Prior to PA school, she was a medical scribe in the emergency department and an urgent care tech. In her free time, she enjoys baking, cooking, going on food adventures, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.