Wild Plants You Can Use
Why should you learn about wild plants just to go backpacking?
It is interesting for some of us, of course, but more than that,
a little knowledge can save your life. It isn't about the edible
ones only. In fact, food is a low priority in most wilderness
emergencies. There are other important uses for many of the plants
out there. Here are some of them.
Some Useful Wild Plants
Yucca: The sword-like leaves with their sharply pointed
end make these easy plants to recognize. There are few plants
that can be used so easily to make rope or twine. Once, in the
California desert, I peeled yucca leaves into strips and braided
them into a rope in a matter of thirty minutes. With two men
pulling on either end, we couldn't break it. Yucca is one of
the better plants for making ropes as well as finer string (just
separate out the finest fibers).
Yucca can provide needle and thread for emergency repairs.
Just carefully cut the tip of a yucca leaf from the inside, an
inch down and about halfway through. Bend it back, and you should
be able to peel some fibers out of the leaf, which will stay
attached to the "needle" or tip of the leaf. I have
pulled out two-foot long strands of fibers this way, and sewn
up clothing with them.
Cattail: This is one of the most useful wild plants
in the wilderness. Most swampy areas in this country have cattail
plants, and once you identified them, you'll never forget them.
There are five edible parts to a cattail plant, but it is much
more than a food plant. The long flat leaves have been used for
centuries to make baskets. You can weave them into mats for sleeping
on, or even make crude clothing out of them.
It is, however, the "fluff" of the cattail seed
head that makes it one of the first wild plants you should learn
about. The old fluffy seed heads sometimes cling to the tops
of the stalks year-round. Put a spark to this material and it
will often burst into flame, which can be a life-saver if you
don't have matches on you. Stuff your jacket full of the fluff
and you'll turn it into a winter coat, possibly saving you from
the number one killer in the wilderness: hypothermia.
Some people have also reported that you can use cattail as
an insect repellent. Keep a smudgy fire going by burning the
seed fluff. I'm not sure if this is any more effective than any
smoky fire would be, but it is so simple to collect and burn
cattail fluff that it is worth remembering.
Milkweed: Several parts of the milkweed plant are edible
with proper preparation, and some people apply the white sap
to warts to get rid of them. The really useful part, however,
is the seed fluff. This is even more flammable than cattail fluff,
so you can use it for starting fires. Fill a couple bread bags
with milkweed down and these "mittens" will keep your
hands very warm. Just insert your hands and tie the bags around
your wrist or tuck it into your sleeves.
Other useful wild plants: The bark of white birch trees
burns better than paper, even when wet. Pop the sap blisters
on young fir trees and you can use the sap as an antiseptic dressing
for small cuts. The juice from crushed wild garlic and onion
can be used as an insect repellent. There are endless ways to
use wild plants. Why not learn and practice a few?
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