Part XII

Lookalikes

32 named mix-ups — tea leaves, white umbels, autumn cups, and two plants that share a common name. A comparison is not a forage license.

Foxglove and comfrey as a botanical teaching diptych

Foxglove for comfrey in a kettle is the worst garden story in this folio. Poison hemlock for parsley is the worst roadside one. If a plant is not in flower and you cannot name it, it is not tea, salad, or a wild carrot.

Pairs involving Saffron.

Deadly mix-upGarden

Saffron for autumn crocus

Colchicum in a paella is a poison, not a spice. True saffron is Crocus sativus; autumn crocus is a lily in disguise.

Saffron crocus has three red stigmas and grass-like leaves with a white midrib. Autumn crocus (Colchicum) has six stamens, no true crocus leaves at bloom, and the whole plant is colchicine. Never harvest a mystery autumn cup for the kitchen.