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FM 3-05.70 Field Manual Survival (17 May 2002) - page 17

Thistle

Cirsium species

Description: This plant may grow as high as 1.5 meters (5 feet). Its leaves are

long-pointed, deeply lobed, and prickly.

Habitat and Distribution: Thistles grow worldwide in dry woods and fields.

Edible Parts: Peel the stalks, cut them into short sections, and boil them before

eating. The roots are edible raw or cooked.

CAUTION

Some thistle species are poisonous.

Other Uses: Twist the tough fibers of the stems to make a strong twine.

B-90

Ti

Cordyline terminalis

Description: The ti has unbranched stems with straplike leaves often clustered

at the tip of the stem. The leaves vary in color and may be green or reddish. The

flowers grow at the plant’s top in large, plumelike clusters. The ti may grow up to

4.5 meters (15 feet) tall.

Habitat and Distribution: Look for this plant at the margins of forests or near

homesites in tropical areas. It is native to the Far East but is now widely planted

in tropical areas worldwide.

Edible Parts: The roots and very tender young leaves are good survival foods.

Boil or bake the short, stout roots found at the base of the plant. They are a

valuable source of starch. Boil the very young leaves to eat. You can use the

leaves to wrap other food to cook over coals or to steam.

Other Uses: Use the leaves to cover shelters or to make a rain cloak. Cut the

leaves into liners for shoes; this works especially well if you have a blister.

Fashion temporary sandals from the leaves. The terminal leaf, if not completely

unfurled, can be used as a sterile bandage. Cut the leaves into strips, then braid

the strips into rope.

B-91

Tree fern

Various genera

Description: Tree ferns are tall trees with long, slender trunks that often have a

very rough, barklike covering. Large, lacy leaves uncoil from the top of the trunk.

Habitat and Distribution: Tree ferns are found in wet, tropical forests.

Edible Parts: The young leaves and the soft inner portion of the trunk are edible.

Boil the young leaves and eat as greens. Eat the inner portion of the trunk raw or

bake it.

B-92

Tropical almond

Terminalia catappa

Description: This tree grows up to

9 meters (27 feet) tall. Its leaves are

evergreen, leathery, 45 centimeters (18 inches) long, 15 centimeters (6 inches)

wide, and very shiny. It has small, yellowish-green flowers. Its fruit is flat, 10

centimeters (4 inches) long, and not quite as wide. The fruit is green when ripe.

Habitat and Distribution: This tree is usually found growing near the ocean. It is

a common and often abundant tree in the Caribbean and Central and South

America. It is also found in the tropical rain forests of southeastern Asia, northern

Australia, and Polynesia.

Edible Parts: The seed is a good source of food. Remove the fleshy, green

covering and eat the seed raw or cooked.

B-93

Walnut

Juglans species

Description: Walnuts grow on very large trees, often reaching

18 meters

(54 feet) tall. The divided leaves characterize all walnut spades. The walnut itself

has a thick outer husk that must be removed to reach the hard inner shell of

the nut.

Habitat and Distribution: The English walnut, in the wild state, is found from

southeastern Europe across Asia to China and is abundant in the Himalayas.

Several other species of walnut are found in China and Japan. The black walnut

is common in the eastern United States.

Edible Parts: The nut kernel ripens in the autumn. You get the walnut meat by

cracking the shell. Walnut meats are highly nutritious because of their protein

and oil content.

Other Uses: You can boil walnuts and use the juice as an antifungal agent. The

husks of “green” walnuts produce a dark brown dye for clothing or camouflage.

Crush the husks of “green” black walnuts and sprinkle them into sluggish water

or ponds for use as fish poison.

B-94

Water chestnut

Trapa natans

Description: The water chestnut is an aquatic plant that roots in the mud and

has finely divided leaves that grow underwater. Its floating leaves are much

larger and coarsely toothed. The fruits, borne underwater, have four sharp spines

on them.

Habitat and Distribution: The water chestnut is a freshwater plant only. It is a

native of Asia but has spread to many parts of the world in both temperate and

tropical areas.

Edible Parts: The fruits are edible raw and cooked. The seeds are also a source

of food.

B-95

Water lettuce

Ceratopteris species

Description: The leaves of water lettuce are much like lettuce and are very tender

and succulent. One of the easiest ways of distinguishing water lettuce is by the little

plantlets that grow from the margins of the leaves. These little plantlets grow in the

shape of a rosette. Water lettuce plants often cover large areas in the regions

where they are found.

Habitat and Distribution: Found in the tropics throughout the Old World in both

Africa and Asia. Another kind is found in the New World tropics from Florida to

South America. Water lettuce grows only in very wet places and often as a

floating water plant. Look for water lettuce in still lakes, ponds, and the

backwaters of rivers.

Edible Parts: Eat the fresh leaves like lettuce. Be careful not to dip the leaves in

the contaminated water in which they are growing. Eat only the leaves that are

well out of the water.

CAUTION

This plant has carcinogenic properties and should only be

used as a last resort.

B-96

Water lily

Nymphaea odorata

Description: These plants have large, triangular leaves that float on the water’s

surface, large, fragrant flowers that are usually white, or red, and thick, fleshy

rhizomes that grow in the mud.

Habitat and Distribution: Water lilies are found throughout much of the

temperate and subtropical regions.

Edible Parts: The flowers, seeds, and rhizomes are edible raw or cooked. To

prepare rhizomes for eating, peel off the corky rind. Eat raw, or slice thinly, allow

to dry, and then grind into flour. Dry, parch, and grind the seeds into flour.

Other Uses: Use the liquid resulting from boiling the thickened root in water as a

medicine for diarrhea and as a gargle for sore throats.

B-97

Water plantain

Alisma plantago-aquatica

Description: This plant has small, white flowers and heart-shaped leaves with

pointed tips. The leaves are clustered at the base of the plant.

Habitat and Distribution: Look for this plant in freshwater and in wet, full sun

areas in temperate and tropical zones.

Edible Parts: The rootstocks are a good source of starch. Boil or soak them in

water to remove the bitter taste.

CAUTION

To avoid parasites, always cook aquatic plants.

B-98

Wild caper

Capparis aphylla

Description: This is a thorny shrub that loses its leaves during the dry season.

Its stems are gray-green and its flowers pink.

Habitat and Distribution: These shrubs form large stands in scrub and thorn

forests and in desert scrub and waste. They are common throughout North Africa

and the Middle East.

Edible Parts: The fruit and the buds of young shoots are edible raw.

B-99

Wild crab apple or wild apple

Malus species

Description: Most wild apples look enough like domestic apples that the survivor

can easily recognize them. Wild apple varieties are much smaller than cultivated

kinds; the largest kinds usually do not exceed 5 to 7.5 centimeters (2 to 3 inches)

in diameter, and most often are smaller. They have small, alternate, simple

leaves and often have thorns. Their flowers are white or pink and their fruits

reddish or yellowish.

Habitat and Distribution: They are found in the savanna regions of the tropics.

In temperate areas, wild apple varieties are found mainly in forested areas. Most

frequently, they are found on the edge of woods or in fields. They are found

throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Edible Parts: Prepare wild apples for eating in the same manner as cultivated

kinds. Eat them fresh, when ripe, or cooked. Should you need to store food, cut

the apples into thin slices and dry them. They are a good source of vitamins.

CAUTION

Apple seeds contain cyanide compounds. Do not eat.

B-100

Wild desert gourd or colocynth

Citrullus colocynthis

Description: The wild desert gourd, a member of the watermelon family,

produces a 2.4- to 3-meter-long (7 1/2- to 9-foot-long) ground-trailing vine. The

perfectly round gourds are as large as an orange. They are yellow when ripe.

Habitat and Distribution: This creeping plant can be found in any climatic zone,

generally in desert scrub and waste areas. It grows abundantly in the Sahara, in

many Arab countries, on the southeastern coast of India, and on some of the

islands of the Aegean Sea. The wild desert gourd will grow in the hottest localities.

Edible Parts: The seeds inside the ripe gourd are edible after they are

completely separated from the very bitter pulp. Roast or boil the seeds—their

kernels are rich in oil. The flowers are edible. The succulent stem tips can be

chewed to obtain water.

B-101

Wild dock and wild sorrel

Rumex crispus and Rumex acetosella

Description: Wild dock is a stout plant with most of its leaves at the base of its

stem that is commonly 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) long. The plants

usually develop from a strong, fleshy, carrotlike taproot. Its flowers are usually

very small, growing in green to purplish plumelike clusters. Wild sorrel is similar

to wild dock but smaller. Many of the basal leaves are arrow-shaped. They are

smaller than those of dock and contain sour juice.

Habitat and Distribution: These plants can be found in almost all climatic zones

of the world. They can grow in areas of high or low rainfall. Many kinds are found

as weeds in fields, along roadsides, and in waste places.

Edible Parts: Because of the tender nature of their foliage, sorrel and dock are

useful plants, especially in desert areas. You can eat their succulent leaves fresh

or slightly cooked. To take away the strong taste, change the water once or twice

during cooking—a useful hint in preparing many kinds of wild greens.

B-102

Wild fig

Ficus species

Description: These trees have alternate, simple leaves with entire margins. Often,

the leaves are dark green and shiny. All figs have a milky, sticky juice. The fruits

vary in size depending on the species, but are usually yellow-brown when ripe.

Habitat and Distribution: Figs are plants of the tropics and semitropics. They

grow in several different habitats, including dense forests, margins of forests, and

around human settlements.

Edible Parts: The fruits are edible raw or cooked. Some figs have little flavor.

B-103

Wild gourd or luffa sponge

Luffa cylindrica

Description: The luffa sponge is widely distributed and fairly typical of a wild

squash. There are several dozen kinds of wild squashes in tropical regions. Like

most squashes, the luffa is a vine with leaves 7.5 to 20 centimeters (3 to 8

inches) across having 3 lobes. Some squashes have leaves twice this size. Luffa

fruits are oblong or cylindrical, smooth, and many-seeded. Luffa flowers are

bright yellow. The luffa fruit, when mature, is brown and resembles the

cucumber.

Habitat and Distribution: A member of the squash family, which also includes

the watermelon, cantaloupe, and cucumber, the luffa sponge is widely cultivated

throughout the tropical zone. It may be found in a semiwild state in old clearings

and abandoned gardens in rain forests and semievergreen seasonal forests.

Edible Parts: You can boil the young green (half-ripe) fruit and eat them as a

vegetable. Adding coconut milk will improve the flavor. After ripening, the luffa

sponge develops an inedible spongelike texture in the interior of the fruit. You

can also eat the tender shoots, flowers, and young leaves after cooking them.

Roast the mature seeds a little and eat them like peanuts.

B-104

Wild grape vine

Vitis species

Description: The wild grapevine climbs with the aid of tendrils. Most grapevines

produce deeply lobed leaves similar to the cultivated grape. Wild grapes grow in

pyramidal, hanging bunches and are black-blue to amber, or white when ripe.

Habitat and Distribution: Wild grapes are distributed worldwide. Some kinds

are found in deserts, others in temperate forests, and others in tropical areas.

Wild grapes are commonly found throughout the eastern United States as well as

in the southwestern desert areas. Most kinds are rampant climbers over other

vegetation. The best place to look for wild grapes is on the edges of forested

areas. Wild grapes are also found in Mexico. In the Old World, wild grapes are

found from the Mediterranean region eastward through Asia, the East Indies, and

to Australia. Africa also has several kinds of wild grapes.

Edible Parts: The ripe grape is the portion eaten. Grapes are rich in natural

sugars and, for this reason, are much sought after as a source of energy-giving

wild food. None are poisonous.

Other Uses: You can obtain water from severed grapevine stems. Cut off the vine at the

bottom and place the cut end in a container. Make a slant-wise cut into the vine about 1.8

meters (6 feet) up on the hanging part. This cut will allow water to flow from the bottom

end. As water diminishes in volume, make additional cuts farther down the vine.

CAUTION

To avoid poisoning, do not eat grapelike fruits with only a

single seed (moonseed).

B-105

Wild onion and garlic

Allium species

Description: Allium cernuum is an example of the many species of wild onions

and garlics, all easily recognized by their distinctive odor.

Habitat and Distribution: Wild onions and garlics are found in open, sunny

areas throughout the temperate regions. Cultivated varieties are found anywhere

in the world.

Edible Parts: The bulbs and young leaves are edible raw or cooked. Use in soup

or to flavor meat.

CAUTION

There are several plants with onionlike bulbs that are

extremely poisonous. Be certain that the plant you are using is

a true onion or garlic. Do not eat bulbs with no onion smell.

Other Uses: Eating large quantities of onions will give your body an odor that will

help to repel insects. Garlic juice works as an antibiotic on wounds.

B-106

Wild pistachio

Pistacia species

Description: Some kinds of pistachio trees are evergreen; others lose their

leaves during the dry season. The leaves alternate on the stem and have either

three large leaves or a number of leaflets. The fruits or nuts are usually hard and

dry at maturity.

Habitat and Distribution: About seven kinds of wild pistachio nuts are found in

desert or semidesert areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea to Turkey and

Afghanistan. The pistachio is generally found in evergreen scrub forests or scrub

and thorn forests.

Edible Parts: You can eat the oil nut kernels after parching them over coals.

B-107

Wild rice

Zizania aquatica

Description: Wild rice is a tall grass that typically is 1 to 1.5 meters (3 to 4 feet)

in height, but may reach 4.5 meters (15 feet). Its grain grows in very loose heads

at the top of the plant and is dark brown or blackish when ripe.

Habitat and Distribution: Wild rice grows only in very wet areas in tropical and

temperate regions.

Edible Parts: During the spring and summer, the central portion of the lower

stems and root shoots are edible. Remove the tough covering before eating.

During the late summer and fall, collect the straw-covered husks. Dry and parch

the husks, break them, and remove the rice. Boil or roast the rice and then beat it

into flour.

B-108

Wild rose

Rosa species

Description: This shrub grows 60 centimeters to 2.5 meters (24 inches to 8 feet)

high. It has alternate leaves and sharp prickles. Its flowers may be red, pink, or

yellow. Its fruit, called rose hip, stays on the shrub year-round.

Habitat and Distribution: Look for wild roses in dry fields and open woods

throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Edible Parts: The flowers and buds are edible raw or boiled. In an emergency,

you can peel and eat the young shoots. You can boil fresh, young leaves in water

to make a tea. After the flower petals fall, eat the rose hips; the pulp is highly

nutritious and an excellent source of vitamin C. Crush or grind dried rose hips to

make flour.

CAUTION

Eat only the outer portion of the fruit as the seeds of some

species are quite prickly and can cause internal distress.

B-109

Wood sorrel

Oxalis species

Description: Wood sorrel resembles shamrock or four-leaf clover, with a bell-

shaped pink, yellow, or white flower.

Habitat and Distribution: Wood sorrel is found in temperate zones worldwide, in

lawns, open areas, and sunny woods.

Edible Parts: Cook the entire plant.

CAUTION

Eat only small amounts of this plant as it contains a fairly high

concentration of oxalic acid that can be harmful.

B-110

Yam

Dioscorea species

Description: These plants are vines that creep along the ground. They have

alternate, heart- or arrow-shaped leaves. Their rootstock may be very large and

weigh many kilograms.

Habitat and Distribution: True yams are restricted to tropical regions where they

are an important food crop. Look for yams in fields, clearings, and abandoned

gardens. They are found in rain forests, semievergreen seasonal forests, and scrub

and thorn forests in the tropics. In warm temperate areas, they are found in

seasonal hardwood or mixed hardwood-coniferous forests, as well as some

mountainous areas.

Edible Parts: Boil the rootstock and eat it as a vegetable.

B-111

Yam bean

Pachyrhizus erosus

Description: The yam bean is a climbing plant of the bean family, with alternate,

three-parted leaves and a turniplike root. The bluish or purplish flowers are

pealike in shape. The plants are often so rampant that they cover the vegetation

upon which they are growing.

Habitat and Distribution: The yam bean is native to the American tropics, but it

was carried by man years ago to Asia and the Pacific islands. Now it is

commonly cultivated in these places, and is also found growing wild in forested

areas. This plant grows in wet areas of tropical regions.

Edible Parts: The tubers are about the size of a turnip and they are crisp, sweet,

and juicy with a nutty flavor. They are nourishing and thirst quenching. Eat them

raw or boiled. To make flour, slice the raw tubers, let them dry in the sun, and

grind into a flour that is high in starch and may be used to thicken soup.

CAUTION

The raw seeds are poisonous.

B-112

Castor bean, castor-oil plant, palma Christi

Ricinus communis

Spurge (Euphorbiaceae) Family

Description: The castor bean is a semiwoody plant with large, alternate, starlike

leaves that grows as a tree in tropical regions and as an annual in temperate

regions. Its flowers are very small and inconspicuous. Its fruits grow in clusters at

the tops of the plants.

CAUTION

All parts of the plant are very poisonous to eat. The seeds are

large and may be mistaken for a beanlike food.

Habitat and Distribution: This plant is found in all tropical regions and has been

introduced to temperate regions.

C-2

Chinaberry

Melia azedarach

Mahogany (Meliaceae) Family

Description: This tree has a spreading crown and grows up to 14 meters (42 feet)

tall. It has alternate, compound leaves with toothed leaflets. Its flowers are light

purple with a dark center and grow in ball-like masses. It has marble-sized fruits

that are light orange when first formed but turn lighter as they become older.

CAUTION

All parts of the tree should be considered dangerous if eaten.

Its leaves are a natural insecticide and will repel insects from

stored fruits and grains. Take care not to eat leaves mixed with

the stored food.

Habitat and Distribution: Chinaberry is native to the Himalayas and eastern

Asia but is now planted as an ornamental tree throughout the tropical and

subtropical regions. It has been introduced to the southern United States and has

escaped to thickets, old fields, and disturbed areas.

C-3

Cowhage, cowage, cowitch

Mucuna pruritum

Leguminosae (Fabaceae) Family

Description: A vinelike plant that has oval leaflets in groups of three and hairy

spikes with dull purplish flowers. The seeds are brown, hairy pods.

CAUTION

Contact with the pods and flowers causes irritation and

blindness if in the eyes.

Habitat and Distribution: Tropical areas and the United States.

C-4

Death camas, death lily

Zigadenus species

Lily (Liliaceae) Family

Description: This plant arises from a bulb and may be mistaken for an onionlike

plant. Its leaves are grasslike. Its flowers are six-parted and the petals have a

green, heart-shaped structure on them. The flowers grow on showy stalks above

the leaves.

CAUTION

All parts of this plant are very poisonous. Death camas does

not have the onion smell.

Habitat and Distribution: Death camas is found in wet, open, sunny habitats,

although some species favor dry, rocky slopes. They are common in parts of the

western United States. Some species are found in the eastern United States and

in parts of the North American western subarctic and eastern Siberia.

C-5

Lantana

Lantana camara

Vervain (Verbenaceae) Family

Description: Lantana is a shrublike plant that may grow up to 45 centimeters (18

inches) high. It has opposite, round leaves and flowers borne in flat-topped

clusters. The flower color (which varies in different areas) may be white, yellow,

orange, pink, or red. It has a dark blue or black berrylike fruit. A distinctive feature

of all parts of this plant is its strong scent.

CAUTION

All parts of this plant are poisonous if eaten and can be fatal.

This plant causes dermatitis in some individuals.

Habitat and Distribution: Lantana is grown as an ornamental in tropical

and temperate areas and has escaped cultivation as a weed along roads and

old fields.

C-6

Manchineel

Hippomane mancinella

Spurge (Euphorbiaceae) Family

Description: Manchineel is a tree reaching up to 15 meters (45 feet) high with

alternate, shiny green leaves and spikes of small greenish flowers. Its fruits are

green or greenish-yellow when ripe.

CAUTION

This tree is extremely toxic. It causes severe dermatitis in most

individuals after only 0.5 hour. Even water dripping from the

leaves may cause dermatitis. The smoke from burning it irritates

the eyes. No part of this plant should be considered a food.

Habitat and Distribution: The tree prefers coastal regions. It is found in south

Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America.

C-7

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