How to Identify Edible Plants - A Quiz. Can You Identify These Edible Plants?
Written by Rachel Bortles
Last updated · 7 min play time
Foraging for edible plants can be an enriching practice, but it should be done only with extreme caution. While some species are highly beneficial to humans, others can be dangerous. Think you have what it takes to identify these 20 edible plants? Let's find out!
Quiz written by
Rachel BortlesHi there! I'm a writer, yoga teacher, bartender, and mother. I'm passionate about spending time outside, space exploration, anything Harry Potter, and pizza.
Edible Plants Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 2K Plays · 6 Comments
Question 1
Can you identify the aquatic plant in this picture?
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AWatercress
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BClovers
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CChickweed
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DAsparagus
Watercress
Watercress is an aquatic flowering plant that grows in shallow running water and is native to Europe and Asia. It contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals and is one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by humans.
Question 2
Can you identify the succulent plant in this picture?
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APickleweed
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BWatercress
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CBurdock
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DAmaranth
Pickleweed
Pickleweed is a salt-loving plant that grows in coastal areas such as salt marshes, beaches, and mangroves. It can be distinguished by its shooting branches and succulent-like leaves. The top portions of the stems can be consumed cooked or raw and have a salty flavor.
Question 3
Can you identify the grass-like plant in this picture?
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APrickly Pear Cactus
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BCurled Dock
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CGreen Seaweed
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DWild Onion
Wild Onion
Wild onion is a grass-like plant with a, you guessed it, onion-like flavor and aroma. The entire plant is edible and it grows small, six-petaled flowers with small white bulbs underground.
Question 4
Can you identify the succulent plant in this picture?
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AWild Strawberry
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BAsparagus
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CWild Ginger
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DClovers
Wild Ginger
A shade-loving plant with heart-shaped leaves, wild ginger is in the birthwort family Aristolochiaceae. Its edible rhizomes and leaves grow low to the ground.
Question 5
Can you identify the perennial herb in this picture?
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AYarrow
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BCatnip
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CBurdock
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DCattail
Catnip
If you see fuzzy, arrow-shaped foliage with rounded teeth on the edges, it could be Catnip! This perennial herb smells and tastes somewhat minty and the young flowers are also edible.
Question 6
Can you identify the flowering plant in this picture?
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ABlackberries
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BMiner’s Lettuce
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CBurdock
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DCurled Dock
Miner’s Lettuce
This flowering plant goes by many names, but the most common, miner's lettuce, stems from its use by miners to fend off scurvy. It produces disk-like leaves with a sweet, earthy scent as well as edible flowers and roots.
Question 7
Can you identify the delicious weed in this picture?
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ACattail
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BColtsfoot
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CBrambles
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DChickweed
Chickweed
Stellaria Media, otherwise known as Chickweed, is a perennial flowering plant native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout the world. It's used as a cooling herbal remedy and grown as a vegetable crop that can be eaten raw or cooked.
Question 8
Can you identify the herbaceous perennial in this picture?
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ABlackberries
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BSheep Sorrel
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CStinging Nettle
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DMilkweed
Stinging Nettle
While they have a somewhat negative reputation, stinging nettles are actually quite delicious and nutritious. They have distinctive, arrow-shaped leaves that taste a lot like spinach.
Question 9
Can you identify the green plant in this picture?
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APrickly Pear Cactus
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BSheep Sorrel
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CFiddleheads
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DGarlic Mustard
Fiddleheads
Fiddleheads are the furled fronds of a young fern that hasn't fully opened. They're often harvested in the early season and used as vegetables.
Question 10
Can you identify the flowering plant in this picture?
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ACommon Milkweed
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BKelp
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CBlackberries
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DField Pennycress
Common Milkweed
Not only is milkweed the only source of food for Monarch butterflies, but it's also a great snack for humans when in a pinch. The leaves, flower buds, and pods are all edible and have a bitter, green bean-like flavor.
Question 11
Can you identify the perennial plant in this picture?
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AAsclepias
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BAmaranth
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CBurdock
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DBlueberries
Amaranth
Amaranth is a perennial plant native to the Americas but also found on many other continents. It's an edible weed that should be boiled before eaten to remove any oxalic acid or nitrates but is also okay when consumed raw.
Question 12
Can you identify the flowering plant in this picture?
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AWild Strawberry
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BSheep Sorrel
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CMiner’s Lettuce
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DWild Ginger
Sheep Sorrel
As a member of the buckwheat family, sheep sorrel is a common weed with arrow-shaped leaves and red stems adorned with tiny flowers in the spring. While it shouldn't be eaten in large quantities, it can be consumed raw and has a pleasant, tart flavor.
Question 13
Can you identify the herbaceous plant in this picture?
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AChicory
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BBroadleaf Plantain
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CCloudberry
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DWood Sorrel
Chicory
Chicory is an herbaceous plant in the dandelion family growing freely in Europe, North America, and Australia. It features small flowers ranging in color from blue to lavender to white, and the entire plant is edible.
Question 14
Can you identify the flowering plant in this picture?
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ASweet Gale
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BDandelion
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CCattail
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DFireweed
Sweet Gale
Commonly referred to as the Bog Myrtle, this flowering plant holds several medicinal benefits in its leaves and nutlets, which can be eaten raw. Sweet Gale is native to northern and western Europe and parts of northern North America.
Question 15
Can you identify the flowering plant in this picture?
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ADandelion
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BField Pennycress
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CChanterelles
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DYarrow
Yarrow
Yarrow is a flowering plant with lance-shaped, feathery foliage and lovely white blossoms that appear from spring to fall. This edible cultivar has a slightly bitter flavor.
Question 16
Can you identify the nutritious weed in this picture?
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AWood Sorrel
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BYaupon Holly
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CWild Rose
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DPurslane
Purslane
While purslane is considered an unwanted weed by many in the United States, it actually contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals. This small plant has smooth, flat leaves with a sour taste and bright flowers.
Question 17
Can you identify the invasive herb in this picture?
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AField Pennycress
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BBrambles
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CLambsquarters
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DGarlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard is an invasive herb or weed that smells like, you guessed it, garlic, and is entirely edible! This biennial flowering plant lies in the mustard family and has scalloped leaves in a basal rosette.
Question 18
Can you identify the flowering plant in this picture?
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ADandelion
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BFireweed
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CCurled Dock
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DField Pennycress
Fireweed
This pretty purple plant is a perennial herbaceous flowering cultivar in the willowherb family found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. It's best consumed young when the leaves are tender, but the flowers and seeds always have a peppery taste.
Question 19
Can you identify the flowering plant in this picture?
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AWood Sorrel
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BPurslane
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CPrickly Pear Cactus
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DWhite Mustard
Wood Sorrel
Wood Sorrel, also known as Oxalis, is a flowering plant found in most of the world, except for the polar areas. It's been used by humans for medical purposes for millennia and is an excellent source of vitamin C.
Question 20
Can you identify the versatile plant in this picture?
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APrickly Pear Cactus
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BCurrants
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CBurdock
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DWood Lily
Burdock
Burdock is a medium to large-sized plant with sizable leaves and purplish thistle-like flower heads. It's found all over the world with the leaves and peeled stalks often being used as food either raw or boiled.
Comments (6)
We want to hear your feedback! Share your scores and discuss the quiz, but keep it civil.
Could the way to cook some of them be added to description?
Please remove the erroneous/insulting callname "valuable amphetamine" that was tagged with the comment I just made. I Appreciate It :-)
Such a great learning opportunity about which plants/plant parts are edible, medicinal, etc :-)
Fun has you think remember good for mind
It is fun. Thanks
Thanks! I loved this quiz!