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Wild Plants for Survival in South Florida

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Wild Plants for Survival in South Florida MORTON: SURVIVAL PLANTS 313 WILD PLANTS FOR SURVIVAL IN SOUTH FLORIDA Julia F. Morton is the article, "Those Bounteous Florida Keys," Director, Morton Collectanea, written for the June, 1954, issue of Everglades Natural History by John D. Dickson III, based University of Miami on his personal experimentation while sta tioned for 14 months on Big Pine Key. Coral Gables Between 1944 and 1946, Dr. Richard A. The American Indians and early settlers, as Howard, now Director of the Arnold Arbore well as many more recent and contemporary tum of Harvard University, was Chief of the woodsmen, campers, adventurers and natural Survival Section, Air Force Tactical Air Center ists, have provided ample precedent for the at Orlando, Fla. In writing survival manuals utilization of our diverse and abundant indige and in teaching survival and rescue techniques nous plant life to augment the diet as well as for the U. S. Air Force, Dr. Howard (then meet many other human needs. Fortunately, Captain Howard) and his "students" collected the varied food and other uses of the principal native and introduced plant materials in wild plants of the United States as a whole southern Florida, worked out ways of ex have been ably recorded in a number of well- tracting and preparing their edible portions, known works, chiefly Yanovsky's Food Plants and ate such dishes during week-long survival of the North American Indians, Saunders' Use training periods. The food habits of the ful Wild Plants of the United States and Seminoles and more recent "natives" were Canada, Medsger's Edible Wild Plants, the examined and compared with the habits of "Edible Plants" chapter in Kephart's classic people of other tropical countries in the use of Camping and Woodcraft, the two editions of such widespread plants as palms, papayas, Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America grasses, beach and marsh plants, and even sea by Fernald and Kinsey, the last edition revised weeds. A palatable and varied vegetarian diet by Rollins; also Harris' Eat the Weeds and from the wild plants of Florida was found to be Coon's Using Wayside Plants, as well as others filling, sustaining, and enjoyable. of more limited regional scope, such as Gilles- On a lesser scale, training for pilot survival pie's Edible Wild Plants of West Virginia. All was given the Marines during post-war years of these include a few plants that range into at their air base at Opa-locka and the aid of southern Florida, but the majority of edible the Morton Collectanea was sought in regard plants peculiar to this unique area are to information on wild plant resources. Re omitted, as well as those species that we share quests for such help are, from time to time, with other subtropical and tropical regions. received from Boy Scout leaders taking troops Dr. Raymond Bellamy of Florida State on field trips, and the currently awakened University authored two articles, in the May interest in Civil Defense has inspired numerous and June, 1951, issues of Florida Wildlife inquiries for guides to the plants that might entitled, respectively, "You Can't Starve In fortify chances of survival if evacuation from The Woods," and "Nature's Cupboard," urban areas were necessitated by enemy attack. largely and frankly limited to the northern While we can be sure that individuals adept portion of the state. The food uses of some at hunting and fishing will depend largely on wild Florida plants are noted by Dr. William game and fish, those not skilled in or equipped Sturtevant in his thesis, The Mikasuki Semi- for the capture of animals will find plant foods nole: Medical Beliefs and Practices (1954), more easily obtained and simpler to prepare, but many of the species mentioned are not in many cases consumable in their natural found in South Florida. A few of our more form. prominent species, such as the seagrape, are In the following presentation, there are commonly eaten and widely publicized but, assembled for the first time more than 115 to the writer's knowledge, the only material, species, native or naturalized in South Florida heretofore published, discussing specifically and/or on the Florida Keys, that offer food, any appreciable number of South Florida's wild drink, or, in a few instances, salt—, tobacco— plants that are wholly or in part comestible and soap—substitutes — or emergency means of; 314 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1961 cleaning the teeth, since Dr. Howard reports PLANTS OF THE SEASHORE in the Air University publication, 999 Survived, that a toothbrush was one of the items most A triplex arenaria Nutt. sorely missed by jungle survivors. CHENOPODIACEAE Beach Orach No attempt has been made to include fungi, lichens or algae. The plant descriptions are Mainland and Keys; sandy beaches. deliberately non-technical and brief, and, be Annual herb, 6 in. to 1£ ft. tall, bushy. Leaves cause of space limitations, it has been necessary alternate or opposite, oblong, oval or slender- to omit the many medicinal and other economic elliptic, £ to 1£ in. long, silvery-scurfy beneath; uses of many of the plants cited, as well as male flowers in terminal or axillary spikes; the extensive geographical range which causes female in short axillary clusters. Fruiting bracts some to be of interest far beyond the boundaries wedge-shaped, toothed, | in. wide. Seed small, of South Florida. The latter, while not a for reddish-brown. mally prescribed area, is, for the purpose of this Use: Salty leaves eaten cooked as greens; paper, defined as that part of the peninsula were boiled with fat and meats by Indians of south of an imaginary line extending from Southwest. (D,H) Palm Beach on the east coast to Sarasota on Avicennia nitida Jacq. the west, though many of the plants covered VERBENACEAE may occur as far north on the coasts as Clear- Black Mangrove; Honey Mangrove; Saltbush water and Merritt Island, and some much Mainland and Keys; coastal hammocks, sandy further. shores or in brackish water. Rather than classify the plants, as isv usually Shrub or tree to 70 ft. with spreading done, as sources of edible fruits, roots, greens, branches. Bark dark-brown, flaking and expos etc., I have chosen to group them according ing orange inner bark. Roots send up masses of aerating, quill-like projections to 3 ft. tall. to their primary habitats as "Plants of the Leaves opposite, elliptic, 2 to 5 in. long, Seashore," "Plants of Inland Waterways and leathery, glossy above, downy-white below. Swamps," and "Plants of Woods and Fields," it Flowers pale-yellow, tubular, 4-lobed, to \ in. being understood that some species are not wide, in small terminal or axillary spikes; limited strictly to any one environment. It is fragrant; June-July. Fruit egg-shaped, flattened, to 1£ in. wide, pale-green, leathery, 2-valved, 1- believed that this "locality" grouping will aid seeded. Seed frequently germinates on tree. the layman who must resort to those food Uses: As a famine food, the sprouting seeds sources occurring in the area in which he finds are edible if cooked. They are toxic when im himself, regardless of the type of edible sub properly prepared or raw. (H) Dr. Howard stance supplied. To the hungry seeker, the only prefers the seedlings with the seed-leaves at requirements are that a plant be recognizable, tached, rather than the seeds themselves. Leaves may be coated with salt which can be collected accessible and, at least in part, comestible or for use. In Nigeria, salt is obtained from the otherwise useful in survival. leaves and roots and is said to be "better than The writer can personally attest the edibility that from other mangroves." Flowers are chief of over 50 of the following plants, or certain source of mangrove .honey. of their products, which are so designated by Batis maritima L. BATIDACEAE the letter "M" in parentheses. Those recorded Saltwort; Pickleweed; Jamaica Samphire by Dickson as having entered into his natural Mainland and Keys; muddy shores and ist's diet are distinguished by the letter "D." coastal marshes, usually with mangroves. Seventy-six species tested as survival foods by Low shrub with creeping or spreading brittle Dr. Howard are followed by the letter "H" and, stems 1 to 4 ft. long, forming masses. Leaves in many cases, brief comments on use or palat- opposite, slim, fleshy, £ to 1 in. long, curved, ability which he has generously contributed. light-green, strong-scented, salty. Flowers tiny, MORTON: SURVIVAL PLANTS 315 greenish or whitish, in short, axillary spikes. Use: Fruit and kernel eaten raw or cooked Fruit, a fleshy, yellow cone, f to f in. long. (M, H) ; canned in Cuba and elsewhere in West Uses: Leaves edible raw (D,M), cooked (H), Indies and tropical America; best when pierced or pickled. Dr. Howard recommends boiling right through stone to allow sirup to penetrate. and straining to remove "strings;" makes a salty May also be made into jelly. (M) puree. See C. icaco var. pellocarpus under "Plants of Inland Waterways and Swamps." J Cakile fusiformis Greene BRASSICACEAE Sea Rocket Coccoloba uvifera Jacq. POLYGONACEAE Mainland and Keys; sandy beaches and dunes. Seagrape; Shore-Grape Low, fleshy herb. Leaves 2 to 6 in. long, Mainland and Keys; beaches and coastal ham pinnately divided, with narrow lobes. Flowers mocks. white or purple, 4-petaled, f in. wide. Seed- Shrub forming clumps on exposed beaches, or pods thick, jointed, £ to 1 in. long, with 2 seeds large tree to 25 or 30 ft., branched close to in lower joint. ground and acquiring broad, massive, rounded Use: Plant eaten raw or cooked, has mustard head.
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