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?

The Ultralight Backpacking Site | Wild Plants You Can Use