Red V Black. Which berries are statistically more dangerous

[Harvestman]

I agree it is an interesting curiosity test. I'm not sure how you quantify your answers though. Different people react to different toxins, and dosage varies considerably from plant to plant even within species. There is also the danger that someone sees the result, for example that black berries are on average safer than red ones, and uses that as their guide in future.

However, in the spirit of the thread, lets add cowberries to red (edible) and crowberry to black (also edible). Cranberry to red. Dewberry to black (edible). Ah, hang one... do you treat the several hundred microspecies of blackberries as one species or several hundred? You could get into a heated argument with a taxonomist right there. Lets throw in cherry laurel, cotoneaster (several types), hawthorn, tutsan, bearberry (bearberries are both black and red, depending on the variety), stone bramble (red, not sure of edibility, but looks like an unripe blackberry), burnet rose (a black rosehip essentially), berry catchfly (black). Do you include the hybrids? Does juniper count as black, or purple?

Sounds like a big job. Some of those berries are red at some stages, and black at others.

 

[mountainm]

Juniper is counted as black. Brambles and blackberries are one item.

I've already got some of those you suggested. To keep things easy could everyone quote and add to the list?

We'll sort toxicity out later but as I see it if it would result in a trip to A and E, a doctor or a toilet for a child if anything up to a large portion was eaten then it's toxic. (Excluding allergic reactions).

If it's tasty or bland and harmless it's edible. Anything else is inedible, this includes things which can only be eaten once processed.

 

[mountainm]

see latest list

 

[Toddy]

I wondered after I logged out last night whether or not some ought to be in both lists since unripe they're red


Tidily done

M

 

[Mesquite]

I know that it's garden hedge plant but privet does grow wild quite commonly and has black berries

 

[John Fenna]

Ahhhhh...
You also need to discuss the level of how poisonous things are...
Some of the berries will kill you if you eat them as food, but will help save your life if used in medicinal amounts (trained medical herbalists only please.. do not self medicate!) or parts are poisonous/hazardous (Yew and Rosehip for example), ripe and unripe have different properties as well as different colours, treated and untreated (ie Sloes/Sloe Gin ) will affect edibility and medical values... coffee berries will turn your stomach if eaten raw but aged, roasted, ground and treated with boiling water can stimulate, refresh, help treat migraines (rectal infusion is most effective but I prefer to just drink the brew) and other berry "teas" are good too
EEEE but it can get complicated!
And we have not even mentioned personal tolerances/allergies, dosages etc etc ...
I survived eating Lords and Ladies as a child (only one "berry") but got a dose of the "Runs" from eating too many Blackberries...

 

[mountainm]

I wondered after I logged out last night whether or not some ought to be in both lists since unripe they're red


Tidily done

M

Ahhhhh...
You also need to discuss the level of how poisonous things are...
Some of the berries will kill you if you eat them as food, but will help save your life if used in medicinal amounts (trained medical herbalists only please.. do not self medicate!) or parts are poisonous/hazardous (Yew and Rosehip for example), ripe and unripe have different properties as well as different colours, treated and untreated (ie Sloes/Sloe Gin ) will affect edibility and medical values... coffee berries will turn your stomach if eaten raw but aged, roasted, ground and treated with boiling water can stimulate, refresh, help treat migraines (rectal infusion is most effective but I prefer to just drink the brew) and other berry "teas" are good too
EEEE but it can get complicated!
And we have not even mentioned personal tolerances/allergies, dosages etc etc ...
I survived eating Lords and Ladies as a child (only one "berry") but got a dose of the "Runs" from eating too many Blackberries...

The hypothetical situation we're looking at is small child wandering the country picking things and eating them. For the sake of simplicity we're classing the colour of the berry when "ripe" to be it's actual colour.

Once classified I'd then like to look at availability based on diversity, habitat and also the period of time it's about to pick.

 

[Goatboy]

So we really need four lists.

Safe to eat.
Toxic in some form.

for both Black and Red.

Sounds very practical

M

Oh but what about goosegogs (gooseberries)? They're my fave and green! (Well sometimes red).

On the current thing we had feral black, red and white ones where I used to live.

 

[mountainm]

Oh but what about goosegogs (gooseberries)? They're my fave and green! (Well sometimes red).

On the current thing we had feral black, red and white ones where I used to live.

 

[Goatboy]

Black
Damson
Bramble
Ivy
Tutsan
Black nightshade
Dogwood
Herb Paris
Deadly nightshade
Blueberry
Crowberry
Sloes (not a berry really)
Cloudberry
Bittersweet
Cherries
Geans
Dewberry
bearberry
burnet rose
berry catchfly
Juniper
Privet

Red
Sea Buckthorn (Orange/red)
Bittersweet
Spindle
Butchers Broom
Lords and ladies
Rowan
Strawberry
Raspberries
Haws
Dogwood
Holly
Yew
Rosehip
Whitebeam
Honeysuckle
Guelder Rose
Black Bryony
Bird Cherries
Elderberries
cowberries
Cranberry
cherry laurel
cotoneaster
bearberry
stone Bramble

Sorry, will stay on target. Have added five to your list, 1 black and 4 red. Another consideration for some folk may be colour blindness as red and green are two of the most common colour problems.

 

[Shewie]

I've got an old copy of Bushcraft magazine somewhere with an article on this very subject, I'll dig it out and see if there's anything to add to this thread.

 

[mountainm]

see latest list

 

[Goatboy]

Those cheeky elderberries were in the wrong list!

Black

Damson
Bramble
Ivy
Tutsan
Black nightshade
Dogwood
Herb Paris
Deadly nightshade
Blueberry
Crowberry
Sloes (not a berry really)
Cloudberry
Bittersweet
Cherries
Geans
Dewberry
bearberry
burnet rose
berry catchfly
Juniper
Privet
Elderberries

Red

Lilly of the Valley
Sea Buckthorn (Orange/red)
Bittersweet
Spindle
Butchers Broom
Lords and ladies
Rowan
Strawberry
Raspberries
Haws
Dogwood
Holly
Yew
Rosehip
Whitebeam
Honeysuckle
Guelder Rose
Black Bryony
Bird Cherries
cowberries
Cranberry
cherry laurel
cotoneaster
bearberry
stone Bramble

Added in Lilly of the valley

 

[mountainm]

update with Edible, Inedible, Poisonous

Black
Damson E
Bramble E
Blueberry E
Crowberry E
Cloudberry E
Elderberries E
Cherries E
Dewberry E
Apline bearberry E
Geans E
mulberry E
Black currant E
Juniper E

burnet rose I
Sloes I

Ivy P
Tutsan P
Black nightshade P
Herb Paris P
Deadly nightshade P
Privet P
White Bryony P

Dogwood I/E/P (there has been some discussion on these elsewhere that there are edible varieties)

berry catchfly ?


Red
Rowan E
Strawberry E
Raspberries E
Haws E
cowberries E
Cranberry E
bearberry E
stone Bramble E
Cherries E
Red Currant E
Guelder Rose E

Sea Buckthorn E/I
Rosehip I
Whitebeam
Bird Cherries I
cotoneaster I
Honeysuckle E/I/P

Lilly of the valley P
Bittersweet P
Spindle P
Butchers Broom P
Lords and ladies P
Holly P
Yew P (eaten "as is")
Black Bryony P
cherry laurel P

Dogwood I/E/P (there has been some discussion on these elsewhere that there are edible varieties)

 

[Toddy]

Geans are our wild cherry; edible, inclined to be bitter. Can taste too cyanidy depending on the individual tree though.

M

 

[Goatboy]

I wouldn't class juniper as inedible, you wouldn't want to eat a lot but I regularly munch them when I've cooked them with meat or have bruised them and added them to a glass of whisky.

 

[mountainm]

I wouldn't class juniper as inedible, you wouldn't want to eat a lot but I regularly munch them when I've cooked them with meat or have bruised them and added them to a glass of whisky.

I debated it - it's not something I'd stomach on it's own raw - you say cooked or in whiskey. But would you eat them raw off the bush?

 

[Goatboy]

I debated it - it's not something I'd stomach on it's own raw - you say cooked or in whiskey. But would you eat them raw off the bush?

I do, not handfuls but will munch on them one at a time. Find it quite refreshing and have never had a jippy tummy. (But then I also munch on cloves as I like the taste and others find that weird too).

 

[mountainm]

I do, not handfuls but will munch on them one at a time. Find it quite refreshing and have never had a jippy tummy. (But then I also munch on cloves as I like the taste and others find that weird too).

OK just for you I'll move it to edible - you'll be telling me to move Sloes next.

 

[Goatboy]

OK just for you I'll move it to edible - you'll be telling me to move Sloes next.

Cheers , Actually I do eat sloes, but only after I've used them to make sloe gin. I then stone the fruit and either use it in a fruit cake or dip them in dark chocolate and they make a very nice grownup pudding! But straight off the bush they're a bit werse even for me.