• Some outdoor plants are edible while others are not.Watercress texture image by Andrejs Pidjass from Fotolia.com
  
  Plants are important sources of food. They are nutritious and widely available. There are many types of plants; however, not all of them are edible. It pays to be able to identify some of the edible plants so as to avoid poisoning from plants that look similar to edible ones. One example is poison hemlock, which looks like wild parsnips and wild carrots.
  
  

Cattail (Typha latifolia)

• Cattails are grass-like plants.green cattails image by topstock from Fotolia.com
  
  Cattails are grass-like plants found in most parts of the world. They grow in areas where there is direct sunlight, near the edges of rivers, canals, lakes and streams. The leaves of cattails are shaped like straps. The leaves grow to a width of 1 to 5 centimeters and a length of 1.8 meters. Every part of the cattail is useful. The tender shoots of the cattail can be eaten raw or cooked. The pollen is a source of starch, just like the rhizomes. However, the rhizomes are really tough and need to be pounded so as to get to the starch, which is used as flour.
  
  

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

• The leaves of asparagus are modified stems in the axils of scale leaves.asparagus image by cherie from Fotolia.com
  
  Asparagus is a perennial plant which grows to a height of 100-150 centimeters. The leaves of asparagus are shaped like needles and are in fact modified stems in the axils of scale leaves. The flowers of asparagus are shaped like a bell and have a greenish-white to yellow color. The young asparagus shoots are edible but turn woody once the plant starts to flower. Asparagus is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, K, C, E and folic acid.
  
  

Wild Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa)

• The parsnip has a long, thick edible taproot which can be eaten raw.parsnips image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com
  
  The parsnip is a root vegetable, very much like the carrot or onion. The wild parsnip is a perennial plant which has five to 15 egg-shaped leaflets along the side of a common stalk. The parsnip has small seeds which are flat and slightly ribbed. It has a long, thick edible taproot which can be eaten raw. They can also be boiled, roasted or used in the preparation of stews and casseroles. Parsnips can also be used as starch to thicken a dish. They can be fried as well.
  
  

Chickweed (Stellaria species)

• The chickweed has several edible species, such as the common chickweed, which has stalked leaves; the mouse-eared chickweed, which has coarse hairs; and the star-chickweed, which has stalkless leaves. The common chickweed and the star chickweed can be chopped and eaten raw or cooked. However, the mouse-ear chickweed has to be cooked because it is very hairy. The stems, leaves and flowers of the chickweed are edible and a good source of potassium and calcium.