which leaves are edible?

[suitcasey]

Hey folks, this is my first post here, I'm hoping you guys can help me out !

I keep a wide variety of exotic animals, many of them, such as the kinkajous and ringtail lemurs, eat leaves in the wild. I recently found a small patch of woodland to rent and I now have access to many species of trees that have never been sprayed with pesticides. I would like to find out which ones have non-toxic leaves

I have found it impossible to find solid info so far, nearly every single website seems to say something different! So I thought I would not take any chances, and ask the experts instead.

I am unsure what all the trees are that I have access to, but I would love for you to tell me which native trees (or bushes) have edible leaves, seeds, flowers and bark. The general rule would be if it is non-toxic to humans, cats, dogs and cattle - it will be fine for me to use.

The species I know are present in the woodland are:
Oak
Apple
Birch
Beech
Ash
and
Willow

I have heard conflicting advice about each one, but I would love to find out for definite about these species specifically, and any other native species that are known to be non-toxic. There are bound to be some!!

Thank you very much

[artdemole]

Try the woodland trust Tree Guide.

[suitcasey]

I have tried that site before, but it seems to give every piece of information except any sort of toxicity. Perhaps I'm looking at the wrong area?

[artdemole]

When you go to the tree guide , Search the alphabetical order for each individual tree.At bottom of guide to tree is Additional information Is Any Part Of The Tree Poisonous.

[poschiavanus]

Welcome to WAB, and a rather esoteric first question!

I'm rather rusty on my primate biology, but seem to remember that there is considerable evidence of preference, about both leaf species and leaf parts in many primates (e.g., Colobine monkeys). I don't know anything about the typical food preferences of lemurs.

Most native tree species are actively grazed by mammal herbivores (deer, sheep and cattle), despite having high levels of tannins. Just look for a browse line in woodlands or standard trees in grazed fields. Elm, Lime and Ash were used in neolithic times for cattle fodder.

I suspect the critical thing in the first instance is to make sure that you don't have any known toxic trees: Laburnum was always notorious for avoidable fatalities in zoos, although this may have just been the seeds. It can get into woodlands as a throw out or possibly through self-seeding.

There used to be a booklet published by DEFRA or similar about toxic plants: although I'd take some of its advice with a pinch of salt. It lists Beech Nuts as toxic, whereas I know people who ate them to survive as children at the end of World War II, and there is an active discussion about how to collect & prepare them on this site.

Plants for a Future may contain a bit more information, and in general is reasonably reliable.

[suitcasey]

Oh wow, this website is fantastic, it seems to be showing me everything I could possibly need to know! Thanks so much! And for the welcome too

Yes in the wild the ringtail lemur's main leaf of choice would be from the tamarind tree. I have just set up a large greenhouse to attempt to grow these as a staple diet, but in the meantime I have been able to replicate their wild diet with different greens, fruits and vegetables giving them the right amount of nutrients and vitamins to thrive. They're doing very well . My main aim for feeding native trees is not to make up a huge part of their diet (hopefully the tamarind trees will do that once they're established!) but mainly just for enrichment purposes and to give them something new, fresh and tasty everyday.

Right I've got a lot of reading to do, then a few hours out with the saw and the clippers! Thanks for your help!

[Kayleigh]

Hi and welcome, have you tried asking your vet they should be able to advise on the diet of your animals..

[artdemole]

Glad you came to the right site.WAb is just a great place.Do have a welcome from me.

[suitcasey]

The vet will be visiting next month so was going to talk to him about this then... but after getting the patch of woodland last week I was just excited to see what I could use it for

[suitcasey]

I did a whole load of research today and all reliable sources seem to say apple leaves do contain cyanide and should not be eaten - but I have spoken to far too many people feeding them with absolutely no problems, so I guess they must be okay. Small doses of cyanide can even be beneficial to the body, so perhaps that is what is happening.

I have managed to find out that beech, birch, mountain ash, hawthorne and willow trees all have leaves edible for humans. So until I find out anything to the contrary, I'll be feeding those five, plus apple and bramble leaves

Thanks everyone for the help! Please chip in if you have any more info!