Poisonous Plants of Alaska Project

Wild plants are essential to the Alaskan way of life.  Wild berries and plants, such as sourdock, fiddleheads, or mouse food, are foundational for subsistence diets and also important food sources and traditions for urban Alaskans.

Concerns about poisonous plants are common, especially among people new to the state or new to foraging. Alaskans learn which plants are safe to eat from a variety of sources, including traditional knowledge, guidebooks, word-of-mouth, and, increasingly, social media. Reports of which plants are poisonous, and how poisonous they are, vary by region and by source. 

The Poisonous Plants of Alaska Project is a study hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which seeks to collect perceptions of poisonous plants and contrast them with evidence of risk. To help with this research, we hosted a public survey Mar-April 2026. The ultimate goal is to create resources that present clear information on poisonous plants, assess the overall risk to foragers, and indicate future research needs. 

Some preliminary results about individual poisonous plants will be posted here after the survey closes (June 2026).

Learn more:

General information on plant poisonings

The survey

Research goals

Plant resources

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