Fools Onion
Common Name: Fool’s onion
Latin Name: Triteleia grandiflora
Description: Fool’s onion is a slender perennial herb that can grow anywhere from 8-24 inches (20-60 cm) tall. Its flowers are purplish-blue in color and grow at the top of a smooth tubular stem. Flowers are bell-shaped with 3 ruffled inner petals and 3 smooth outer petals.Habitat: Fool’s onion can be found growing on slopes in areas that are either dry or wooded. The plant seems to prefer areas of partial shade. I often find Fool’s onion growing under oak trees. This plant can be harvested from
Food: The whole plant is edible; the roots, bulbs, stalks, leaves, and flowers. Traditionally Fool’s onion’s bulbs were harvested and cooked by the native people, but they can be eaten raw in salads or as a trailside nibble. My favorite part, by far, is the flower as it is sweet and nutty in taste.
Nutrition:
Fool’s onion is in the lily family along with Wild onion and Chives. It is commonly believed that these three plants are rich in iron making them a good choice for people with anemia. They are said to stimulate digestion and rid the body of parasites. Janice Schofield, author of Discovering Wild Plants, writes: juice from bulbs can alleviate pain and swelling from bug stings and can act like an antiseptic to disinfect the wound.
Warning: When picking any plant from the lily family for food be sure that you can differentiate the edible species from the poisonous look-alikes. It is pretty hard to confuse Fool’s onion with Death camas or Fly poison, but non-the-less take the time to learn about these poisonous plants so that no accidents occur!
Watch Stalking Wild Greens - Episode 3 Fools Onion
Recipe: Fool’s onion flowers are delicious. I recommend enhancing your salads with these beautiful blue and purple flowers!
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