This project was prompted by conversations between myself (botanist Celia Miller, the lead researcher) and several Alaskan residents: they were concerned about picking blueberries near monkshood and felt that touching that plant was dangerous. I grew up in Southcentral Alaska and while I knew not to eat monkshood, I had picked it by hand many times for bouquets or to dry for crafts. Why were our perceptions of this plant so different? Which of us was 'correct'?
From that one plant, we've set out to get a better picture of poisonous plants in Alaska. Where does our knowledge about each plant come from? How many calls to poison control are there are a year? Which are the most common plants that cause injury, and how serious a public health concern is this for a state where so many people forage wild plants?
Guidebooks often label plants as POISONOUS, whether mildly toxic or lethal, with no further information. We hope to compile detailed, sourced information about each plant reported as poisonous in Alaska, acknowledge where we don't have information, and assess overall risks to foragers and other Alaskans.
The end goal is a scientific report about the ethnobotany of poisonous plants in Alaska, as well as publicly accessible resources, such as a website and printed booklets. The public survey (open Mar-Apr 2026) contains space for your feedback on how the results of this research should be reported.
Mar-Apr 2026: Survey open
May 2026: Some preliminary details on plants posted here
Summer-Fall 2026: Data analysis and writing
Summer 2027: Target for presenting results to the public
Many people have asked about including mushrooms, where poisoning and identification concerns are generally higher. Unfortunately, we are not including mushrooms at this time. The mushroom flora of Alaska is more difficult to study--there are many undescribed species of mushroom in Alaska. Mycotoxins are also more poorly understood than plant toxins, and edible mushrooms can be extremely toxic if undercooked. All of these factors make it more difficult to say anything comprehensive about risks. We hope this project may inspire mycologists to pursue something similar for the state, but it's not within the scope of our research.