Compiling a list of edible, medicinal and fragrant bonsai.

[Desert O'Piñon]

I'll start with Piñon for its nuts and fragrance, as well as 5 species of willow for the salicin, converted to salicylic acid, a natural alternative to aspirin, acetasalycilic acid.

I know there are many of you better versed in such things, and I invite anyone to add to this list.

 

[sorce]

Roselle Hibiscus. In Jamaica they call it Sorrel. I'm growing some for the calyx drink, but the leaves are edible too.
Pretty plant.

Sorce

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

Ilex vomitoria, American Holly is the only North American native plant that contains caffeine. Its leaves can be steeped or boiled into a fairly tasty tea, which was commonly drunk by tribes of the southeast who called it simply "black drink."

 

[CapeCodBonsai]

One (of the many) edible/medicinal bonsai I recently started working with is Cornus mas, the Cornelian Cherry Tree. My Romanian tenant told me that back home they basically used the fruit as a sort of Pepto Bismol. When somebody gets a case of the voodoo doodoo and starts exorcising demons in the bathroom, they eat a few cornelian cherries and it all comes to a screeching halt

Cornus mas is also a food ingredient in traditional cuisines, such as those of Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania, Turkey, and Iran. The fruits are rich in anthocyanins, vitamin C, and phenolic compounds, and can be eaten fresh, dried, or used to make jams, sauces, and a sweetened cold drink called kizilcik serbeti

 

[dbonsaiw]

Vachelia Caven produces tanins used in perfumes.

 

[Cajunrider]

Tamarind and carambola.

 

[hemmy]

Portulacaria afra

“The foliage is edible – and is commonly eaten in southern Africa, usually in salads or soups to add a sour flavor – and was traditionally used medicinally for a variety of minor ailments.”

Elephant Bush, <em>Portulacaria afra</em>

Many succulents make interesting houseplants. If you want something easy to grow with an interesting name, try elephant bush. This South African native is a favorite food of pachyderms that can grow up to 15 feet tall, but it also adapts readily to container culture. Learn more about...

hort.extension.wisc.edu

 

[RODERLO]

Taxus

Taxol extracted from taxus is a medicinal anti cancer and anti bacterial substance.

A Potent and Safer Anticancer and Antibacterial Taxus-Based Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticle - PMC

Paclitaxel is a generic drug produced based on Taxol which is an extract of Taxus tree, well known for its anticancer and antibacterial effects. This study was aimed at building up an agent with the antibacterial and anticancer benefits of both the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Go Taxus!

But don’t eat it!!

 

[bluone23]

Crataegus monogyna - tea from leaves fruit and flowers used for cardiovascular disease
Tilia -> tea from flowers for better sleep

 

[penumbra]

Crataegus monogyna - tea from leaves fruit and flowers used for cardiovascular disease

All hawthorn berries strengthen heart muscle and help normalize blood pressure. I have been taking hawthorn berry for close to 40 years.

 

[Kievnstavick]

Adansonia digitata aka African Baobab.

Supposedly the entire tree is edible from the roots to the leaves. I have eaten their leaves when pruning, sampled the roots, and young branches. I have also eaten the fruits to collect the seeds that I brought home with me to grow.

The leaves have a very similar flavor to spinach. The fruit has a sort of tangy, high in iron flavor. I rather liked them as a snack.

The roots and young stem are...not palatable. They both have a very woody flavor and fiberous texture. Like chewing on a pencil.

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

The roots and young stem are...not palatable. They both have a very woody flavor and fiberous texture. Like chewing on a pencil.
Kievnstavick, that certainly makes sense!

 

[Michael P]

Rosemary--tricky as bonsai but delicious.

 

[Kodama]

Need a water filter? Peel a tree branch​

MIT group shows xylem tissue in sapwood can filter bacteria from contaminated water. Break off a branch from the nearest pine tree or cedar tree, peel away the bark, and slowly pour lake water through the stick. The improvised filter should trap any bacteria, producing fresh, uncontaminated water.

 

[19Mateo83]

Here’s one most people don’t know about. The southern hackberry, celtis laevigata. Also known as sugarberry or sugar hackberry.
The fruit is edible and has a sweet flavor, hince the name, but the bark has been used to make a tonic that helps with sore throat and can also be made into an ointment to help cure VD.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Crateagus, hawthorn is commonly used here for drink, jams.
Spruce shoots can be used for tea. High in vitamin C.
Pine resin as antiseptic.
Juniper berries for gin, and they contain an analogue to estrogen. NOT sabina junipers.
Cherries and plums speak for themselves. The wood smells like coca cola if you sand it.
Quince is pretty good fruit actually.
Citrus and lemon.
magnolia is super fragrant, wood and roots especially.
Not commonly used for bonsai but sassafras albidum contains a bunch of chemicals you can use for party drugs.
Properly sterilizing biogold can be a nice base for magic mushrooms.

 

[shohin_branches]

Taxus

Taxol extracted from taxus is a medicinal anti cancer and anti bacterial substance.

A Potent and Safer Anticancer and Antibacterial Taxus-Based Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticle - PMC

Paclitaxel is a generic drug produced based on Taxol which is an extract of Taxus tree, well known for its anticancer and antibacterial effects. This study was aimed at building up an agent with the antibacterial and anticancer benefits of both the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Go Taxus!

But don’t eat it!!

You can eat the red berries but the seeds have a dangerous neurotoxin in them so you have to spit out the seed

 

[Empty Mountain]

Amelanchier - shadbush/shadblow/juneberry/serviceberry/saskatoon berry fruit makes a delicious pie and an Amelanchier asiatica won a Kokufu prize last year.

 

[19Mateo83]

Properly sterilizing biogold can be a nice base for magic mushrooms.

Sounds like you know this from experience

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Sounds like you know this from experience

I'm more of a grains guy; rice or rye.