Survival Plants Memory Course

VIVIDLY IMAGINE: Coming across a very large candlestick (mature plants resembles a candlestick form) in the wilderness. Walk up to the candlestick in order to warm your hands and feet. Start warming your hands (flowers have 5 petals/fingers that spread open, like fingers on a hand; flowers are not tubular) near the candle’s flame (flowers, like the flame, are yellow [not white to purple] and attach at the base [stemless]) that’s about chest high (mature plants are 3 to 7 feet tall; average 4 feet), right in front of you. Warm your feet by putting a leaf in each shoe (leaves are very fuzzy [resembles white felt insoles] and wavy around the edges [like felt insoles]; leaves/insoles also insulate against cold). As you’re putting your shoes back on something, inside one of your shoes, cuts your foot and it starts to bleed (just for "lanced shape" memory reinforcement; vivid thought [a little or a lot of blood] directly associated with the lance [leaf shape]). Look inside the shoe and discover that you had mistakenly placed a lance/spear-tip inside that shoe rather than a leaf (to remember that leaves are lance shaped; and like actual felt insoles they're fuzzy [top and bottom] and they're edges are wavy, smooth or scalloped [rounded teeth like knuckles on a fist]). OPTION 1: Now, after pulling the lance from out of your foot, imagine fastening that lance to the plant's central stem in order to make a fishing spear. Part of your fishing bounty includes scallops. Use lance to open shells. OPTION EXPLAINED 1: Now, after pulling the lance from out of your foot, imagine fastening that lance to the plant's central stem in order to make a fishing spear (to remember fish poison use; also gives your lance/leaf a stem [spear shaft] that is not U-shaped). Part of your fishing bounty includes scallops (the edges of scallop shells are shaped like knuckles on a fist). Use lance to open shells (connects the lance/leaf/insole/felt to wavy, rounded/scalloped edges). OPTION 2: On the same plant, leaves can be "roughly" lance shaped to narrowly egg shaped to football shaped. Use your own imagination to include a narrow egg and/or a football (associated with a leaf or leaves) in this mnemonic if it helps.

MNEMONIC NOTE: Since the Cattail is already one of the most recognizable plants (a cat’s tail), it’s mnemonic will not be about identity. Instead, it’s mnemonic will help is to remember what time of year is best to harvest certain parts of the plant for edibility. Refer to the Poisonous Look-Alikes Chart to distinguish young Cattails from it’s look-alikes. The mnemonic includes an “OPTION” to also help us remember how to distinguish young Cattails from it’s look-alikes. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: Sitting on a loveseat, next to the person you love. Your cat springs (spring time is the best time to harvest what “springs” from the roots [corms to sprouts]) from the floor onto your lap (sprouts that are 2 to 3 feet tall are best; same hight as your lap/knees) then does a sumersault (summer time is often associated with love; male and female relations; the green [immature] male and female flower spikes are edible in summer; leaf sheath must be peeled away to expose the young green flower spike; think of the peeling away as the male and female couple undressing; imagine male on top in order to remember that the pollen [Paul] baring section of the spike is male and is above the female section) from your lap onto the lap of your lover. Just after your acrobatic cat lands on your lover’s lap, it looses it’s balance then falls (fall is the best time to start harvesting the roots; fall through winter) to the floor (associated with ground roots).

MNEMONIC NOTE: The hardest part of the following mnemonic is remembering that White Clover flowerheads are about half a large as a ping-pong ball. The plant's nickname could have been Hailstones but no hailstone mnemonic was as good as the following ping-pong ball mnemonic. The ball (flowerhead) and paddles (leaflet shape) were a perfect match. OPTION: Vividly imagine playing the "ping-pong" game in a hailstorm; with hailstones. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: You’re walking through a field and find ping-pong balls (flowerheads are roundish and usually white; can be whitish pink) to wall over the ground. The paddles too (leaflets are paddel-shaped). You’re so good at ping-pong, in order to make it fair, you play against 2 people (3 people with paddles represent 3 paddle-shaped leaflets per leaf). They are so competitive that after you win they become visibly angry and throw their paddles at you from across the table. You’re able to block each of the 2 paddles with you’re own paddle (each of the 2 paddles that are blocked by you leave a mark on your paddle; the 2 marks form a “V" shape which represent the chevron of each leaflet) and avoid bodily harm.

NOTE #1: There are 2 common ways to eat cotton candy. 1) Put your face into it and bite [method usually associated with children] or, 2) Pick pieces off with your thumb and index (or middle) finger [method usually associated with adults]. The following mnemonic relies on the second method being used in your mind’s eye while imagining and acting out sequences. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: When you see cotton candy (flowers are roundish and pinkish; flowers can also, like cotton candy, be purplish) what’s the first thing you do? Pick some to eat (your thumb and finger form the shape of leaflets and flowerhead; the 3 extended fingers represent the number of leaflets per leaf and the number of leaflets [1 to 3] at the base of each flowerhead; also the "V" shapes made by extended fingers represent shape on each leaflet)! While eating you hear baby birds calling ('V-shaped' marking on each leaflet) to be fed so you feed each of them too. The cotton candy passes through the birds and the waste collects below (waste represents appendages [growths] at the base of each compound leaf stalk). NOTE #2: The 3 leaflets, represented by 3 fingers, represent the 3 parts of this mnemonic. 1) You eat. 2) Birds eat. 3) The birds poop.

MNEMONIC NOTE: This plant is 1 of 3 in this course that have the word “lion” in the nickname (Lion’s Paw, Dead-The-Lion, Lion’s Boat). All 3 resemble or is the Dandelion and are distinguished, from one another, by their leaves. The leaves are then the springboard to their perspective mnemonics. So... What’s the first thing to do when you see a lion in the area? Leave (leaf)! That means: When you see a lion immediately look at the leaves. PRE-MNEMONIC: When you see a lion in the field immediately leave the area. Leaves that look like grass (associated with cows) lets you know that you might have the Lion’s Boat plant. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: A cow (associated with grass [plant leaves are grass-like] and milk [exudes a milk sap when broken]) and a rabbit (associated with carrots [roots are stout and tapered; carrot-like; beige not orange; grass-like leaves also grow out of root top (carrot top-ish); grass-like leaves partially encircle developing stem and flowering stem at their base] and big ears [represent bracts that extend beyond flowerhead margin/edge/radius like ears extend beyond rabbit’s head]) wanted to go across water for greener pastures. They accepted a ride from a lion (flowerheads and puff-ball seedheads resemble dandi-LION but are much larger) who offered to transport them, on his boat (leaf tips are keeled [bottom of boat]), with a promise of not eating them. During the journey, like in a cartoon, when the lion looked at the cow he saw a glass of milk and when he looked at the rabbit he saw a chocolate bunny (lion, cow and rabbit are closely tied or associated in this sentence in a way that by thinking of one will remind you of the others; important because leaves and roots are best [though edible] before flowering stem has developed; find just grass-like leaves in the field, easily associate them with a cow, cow is tied to milk that is tied to chocolate that is tied to rabbit/bunny; both cow and rabbit is tied to the lion [in case you see the lion in the field first]. Unable to resist himself he started chasing them around and around. All of the running around in circles triggered a whirlpool. The lion caught them and swallowed the chocolate and the milk. The whirlpool swallowed the lion (the stem becomes enlarged and hollow underneath flowerhead; enlarge, hollow stem represents the whirlpool and the flowerhead represents the lion). OPTION 1: As you vividly imagine the lion being swallowed by the whirlpool, notice all of the blood on his tan fur appears purple (1 of 2 look-alikes have purple flowers [they also may not have bracts/ears that extend as far beyond the flowerhead]; look-alikes can be used identically) not red. OPTION 2: Vividly imagine the lion consuming the chocolate bunny as we all did/do, by biting the ears off first (2 of 2 look-alikes don't have bracts/ears that extend far beyond flower margin; look-alike bracts will be slightly shorter, slightly longer or even with flower margin). NOTE: Both look-alikes can be used/prepared/eaten as Lion's Boat.

NOTE BEFORE MNEMONIC: Of the 52 plants shared in this course, there are 3, including this one, that resemble the shape of a bottle brush. They also have tiny white flowers (represent soap bubbles on the brush) and flat roundish seedpods. These 3 plants are referred to, in their mnemonics and nicknames, as bottles. Now when you see a soapy bottle brush (with flat roundish seedpods) in the field, the first thing to do is determine what kind of bottle it is. Start from the first stage in life: 1) As a baby you drank from a "milk" bottle. Virginia Pepperweed is nicknamed milk bottle because, like a baby it's hairless (or mostly so) and has tiny hands, which represent the tiny seedpods of the plant. AMENDED: Virginia Pepperweed's main stem also has no ribs. A baby, because of it's baby fat, appear to have no ribs also. 2) As a teenager you drank from a "soda" bottle. Field Pennycress, the plant featured here, is nicknamed soda bottle because you can not only see the fizz/carbonation rising along the inside of the bottle (represented by a longitudinally ribbed main stem); you can also see the coins that come with the plant to buy sodas from the machine with (represented by the large coin-like seedpods). 3) As an adult you can drink out of a "beer" bottle. Field Pepperweed is nicknamed beer bottle because, in this case, the beer bottle is associated with a hairy/burly man (represented by the dense hairs all over stems and leaves). Now that you've determined that the bottle brush is for a soda bottle (for this particular plant) it's time for the soda bottle mnemonic... MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: All of the teenagers around you are drinking their sodas right out of the bottle. To be different and cool at the same time, make yourself an ice cream float in a tall glass. Start by taking a spoon and scoop out (scooping is done towards the bottom; leaves toward the bottom of stem are spoon/oval shaped) some of the delicious mixture. While you're eating, one of the teens slip a straw into your glass in order to drink some of your float. You take a pair of large scissors, and just as you are about to cut the straw (middle and upper stem leaves are lance shaped [scissors open] with 2 pointed lobes that grasp the stem [like open scissors about to cut the stem/straw] you change your mind and decide to share.

MNEMONIC NOTE: This plant is 1 of 3 in this course that have the word “lion” in the nickname (Lion’s Paw, Dead-The-Lion, Lion’s Boat). All 3 resemble or is the Dandelion and are distinguished, from one another, by their leaves. The leaves are then the springboard to their perspective mnemonics. So... What’s the first thing to do when you see a lion in the area? Leave (leaf)! That means: When you see a lion immediately look at the leaves. PRE-MNEMONIC: When you see a lion in the field immediately leave the area. Leaf teeth/lobes that generally point down (toward the center of the rosette) lets you know that you might have the Dead-The-Lion plant. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: The full mnemonic is in it’s nickname (Dead-The-Lion). The nickname was chosen to help identify this most recognizable plant (Dandelion) in it’s least recognizable rosette stage (just leaves; no stems or flowers). The rosette leaves are so deeply lobed that they are compared to lion’s teeth. The word "dead" reminds us that the teeth/lobes point downward (towards the leaf base); rendering the lion harmless/dead. Look-alikes (not are poisonous) have teeth/lobes that point outward or upward.

NOTE: The mnemonic of another plant (Oxalis stricta | Love Love Love) in this course is based on the “Rule of 3s”. The mnemonic of this plant is based on the “4 essentials of survival”. It’s impossible to survive without shelter (protection from the elements), fire (heat, purify water, cooking), water and food. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: When you see snow flakes (tiny white flowers) on the ground you know right away that you need a fire in order to stay warm. You have no way to start a fire and it’s getting cold and dark. Suddenly, from the darkening sky, you watch one of the stars (star-shaped sepals [leafy-like structure beneath petals]) in the starry sky fall (shooting/falling star) right at your feet and erupt into flames (each leaf, like each single flame, is pointed and oval-shaped). Extend your arms (leaves, like your arms are opposite of one another; your arms represent seedpod stems that are long, are in pairs and they droop) toward the fire to warm your hands (your hands represent 5 petals [that look like 10] when they are open and capsule-like seedpods [each on the end of a long arm/stem] when they’re closed). Any fire and any person will die if not fed. To feed the fire you hike toward some trees in order to gather wood. STOP! Do you see that squirrel? It’s on the trunk of the tree that’s right in front of you. Slowly back away in order to make a slingshot out of a y-branch (stem has elastic string core; just imagine breaking the branch in order to make the “y" section [the sight] even, and discovering the elastic you need is right there in the core of the branch). The squirrel is still there when you return. You pull back on the elastic and take aim but the squirrel, like squirrels do, ran to the opposite side of the tree trunk. You run to that side and it runs back to the other side. This goes on-and-on (line of stem hairs alternate at every leaf pair) until eventually you are able to take aim and hit it. Now you have fire, food (stem hairs represents the squirrel) and water (at camp melt some snow; water reminds you that the plant does NOT emit milky sap when cut]. Shelter is made by making an a-frame with some branches and covering it with sections of thick, green mats provided by the plant (grow in dense, tangled mats).

MNEMONIC NOTE: This plant is 1 of 3 in this course that have the word “lion” in the nickname (Lion’s Paw, Dead-The-Lion, Lion’s Boat). All 3 resemble or is the Dandelion and are distinguished, from one another, by their leaves. The leaves are then the springboard to their perspective mnemonics. So... What’s the first thing to do when you see a lion in the area? Leave (leaf)! That means: When you see a lion immediately look at the leaves. PRE-MNEMONIC: When you see a lion in the field immediately leave the area. Leaves that have spines (claws) around the edges lets you know that you might have the Lion's Paw plant. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: This plant has several non-poisonous look-alikes that all, including this one, resemble the common Dandelion. As with people, the surest way to confirm ones identity is to examine fingerprints. Now, from the Dandelion resemblance we extract the word Lion and in order to get the Lion’s print you need it’s paw (represents plant leaf) which has noticeable claws (represents the small spines around leaf's edges and the distinctly pointed [not round] lobes at the base of leaves) around it. Now, before approaching the lion (lioness) to get the print, vividly imagine her, from a distance, laying under a tree nursing (stems and seeds emit milky sap when cut) her cubs. As you approach the area the cubs run up the tree for safety (picturing this reminds you of the leaf shape [tree trunk represents leaf stem; cubs all along tree trunk represent triangle shaped lobes/leaflets along lower part of leaf stem; tree top/crown represents spade shaped, top part of leaf] and it reminds you of 2 main distinctions from Dandelion other than spiny leaf edges [cubs all along tree trunk represent leaves along plant's main stem and cubs atop tree represents several flowerheads {lion cub heads} atop each stem]). OPTIONAL: The lion (lioness) then runs towards you to attack! You keep her at bay with the spear (older leaves near the top of the plant stem are more likely to be lanceolate (lance) to oblanceolate in shape [entire or have shallow lobes]) that you carry.

MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: When you see 2 bike wheels (compound umbels; 1 umbel and 1 umbellets; stems radiate from one point like spokes in a wheel) with stunt pegs (pegs that stick out a short distance from both sides of both wheels, for riders to jump onto when they’re doing tricks [the pegs represent the bracts below each umbel and umbellet]) in the snow it’s probably a BMX bike. You can’t be sure because the rest of the bike is covered in snow (flowers are white). Brush away some snow, bend down, grab the bike frame (your hand represents the compound leaf clasping the main plant stem which is stout and hollow like the bike frame) then stand the bike up. Vividly imagine yourself “SLOWLY" getting on the bike (only 3 steps to this: 1. hold the grips [represent seeds; ribbed and their approximate shape] 2. sit down [the seat represents one of the approximate variable shapes of each leaflet {oblong-ovate}] 3. peddle [each peddle, with it’s parallel parts, represent the plant’s ribbed stems; the teeth on the sprocket/gear represents the teeth on each leaflet “AND” it’s pointed tip; the shape of the chain represents one of the approximate variable shapes of each leaflet {oblong-ovate to narrowly lance shaped}]). Now ride the bike to the nearby bike park where a large crowd (represents leaflets) has gathered along each side of a long muddy track (this straight line path represents the leaf stem; the mud is to help you envision deep tire tracks up and down the path which again represent the plants ribbed stems; the mud is also associated with moist or shallow water ground which is characteristic of this plant) with a hill to jump at the far end (that hill represents the single leaflet at the far end or the tip of each odd-pinnately compound leaf). You prepare to make your jump, at the near end, by first doing some tricks for the crowd using the stunt pegs (again: pegs that stick out a short distance from both sides of both wheels, for riders to jump onto when they’re doing tricks [the pegs represent the bracts below each umbel and umbellet]). The crowd goes wild! Now race down the muddy track (ribbed leaf stem), flying by the crowd (leaflets) that are on both sides (leaflets/crowd are opposite of one another), and make your jump (OPTIONAL: vividly imagine doing some sort of stunt peg trick in mid-air in order to reenforce the bracts at the base of each wheel [umbellet and umbel]). It was spectacular! NOTICE: The landing area was more grassy (grass blades remind you that leaves that are under or near the surface of water are divided into thread-like segments) and wet (grows in shallow water or moist ground) from the melting (wet) snow (again: flowers are white). OPTIONAL: Now turn around. On your way back to the starting point you slowly zig-zag (represents each compound leaf [not leaflet] that alternate up the main stem) to the right and to the left of the muddy track (remember: on the way back the track represents the main stem rather than the compound leaf stem) in order to greet your new fans, shake hands, take pictures and sign autographs.

NOTE: Of the 52 plants in this course there are 3 that develop clusters of berry-like fruit. They are Burning Bush (Rhus glabra | Smooth Sumac), Condom (Prunus virginiana | Choke Cherry) and Plates (Sambucus nigra | Black Elderberry). Each mnemonic in this course is based on multiple parts of each plant; so that, for example, if the flowers are not in bloom there are other plant parts (parts of the story) available to help remind you of the mnemonic. Now, Burning Bush flowers and fruit resemble it’s nickname. Condom and Plates flowers resemble their nicknames but their fruit (berry clusters) do not. It will be helpful, in this case, when the condom-like or plate-like flowers are not in bloom to remember that Condom berries (unlike Plate berries) have a cherry-like seam down the side and Plate twigs/branches are hollow and have a soft white pith. MNEMONIC: The first thing to do when you see a berry is look for a vagina or a penis. EXPLAINED: Condom berries (unlike Plates berries) have a cherry-like seam (represents her vagina) down the side. Plates’ berries have 2 to 3 seeds (testicles) per berry and it’s twigs/branches (break off a penis) are hollow (urinary tract) and have a soft whitish pith (VD) inside. OPTION: One way to remember associating Plates with penis is through the word “break”. Penis’ are broken (off of the tree or by VD) and plates can be broken. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: Your mother or grandmother hands you one of the plates (represents the large, white, flat-topped flower clusters), from her china (white) cabinet (the large cabinet reminds you that the flowers/plates come off of a large plant [shrub or small tree]), to collect berries (the word berries was worked into this mnemonic to help you associate berries with this Plates plant during times when the flowers/plates have developed into fruit; of the 52 plants in this course there are 2 that develop berry-like fruit, the other is the Chock Cherry; the Chock Cherry looks like a cherry with it’s color and cherry-like seam down the side of each berry; when you see a cherry, the word cherry is closely associated with the plant’s nickname [Condom]) with for the pie she plans to make. After dinner you chase the pie with a tall cup of milk then start washing dishes. Remember that there are 5 pieces per setting. Look at your hand (represents individual flowers with 5 petals and count them out: Plate (large white flower clusters), Cup (keep reading), Steak Knife (represents serrated leaflet edges), Spoon (represents round cork-like dots on young bark) and Fork (represents vertical furrows [deep ridges] on aged bark; as if scratched with a fork). Now place that hand, with the soapy dish cloth, immediately into the tall cup to wash it. As usual, your fingers can’t reach the bottom of the glass (in this section your fingers represent most of the leaflet veins that fade out [can’t reach] before reaching leaflet’s edge [bottom of the glass] and a thick, caked-on milk ring remains at the bottom [the caked-on milk, inside of the ‘hollow’ glass, represents the soft white pith in the ‘hollow’ twigs and branches; it does NOT represent a milky sap in the leaves and stems because this plant has none). Now use that same hand to open the curtains (focus on full hand; 5 fingers again) in front of you (over the sink) to look outside while finishing the dishes. You see 10 (5 + 5 = 10) boys on the grass playing football. 5 are on one side of the ball (they represent the typical leaflet count of 5 [sometimes 7 and rarely 9] on each leaf; it’s best to just remember the fact that it’s an odd number because the leaflet count will always be odd [only 1 leaflet at the tip of any odd-pinnately compound, not 2]) and 5 are on the other side (these players represent another 5 leaflet leaf on the ‘opposite’ side [odd-pinnately compound leaves of this plant grow ‘opposite’ along the stem; they go NOT alternate like the poisonous look-alike does] of the ball [represents 2 things[...]

MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: When you see an afro (mature plants in the area are bush and somewhat round) give it a mohawk (flowers and fruit/seed have 3 T-shaped leaf-like bracts at their base) haircut. While cutting the hair vividly imagine the clippers slipping from your hand and cutting the man on his very bad acne forehead (represents the area where the 2 lines, of the T, meet; same area where flowers and fruit/seed develop). Watch the pimples pop (this represents the flower’s stamens [when in season] which are puss-like and extend [pop] beyond the flower’s sepals) and bleed; blood and puss stream from his forehead (the streams reminds you that the stems of this plant have red to purplish or cream to yellow colored stripes). Next the wound develops a scab (represents the roundish fruit [when in season]; with it’s papery translucent layer). When the scab eventually fell off the man’s forehead was smooth and not bumpy (inside of the fruit is one seed that is cone shaped; the flat side of the seed is represented by smooth/flat skin). He actually thanks you for giving him the injury then gives you a high (or low) five (flowers “generally” have 5 stamen [represents the pop and puss]) before he walks away in his stripped (to re-enforce stripped stems)... you fill in the blank.

MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: When you see an upside-down rabbit's head (common leaf shape [2 "pointed" leaf lobes/ears that are half as long or longer than the blade/head {like a rabbit}] and common leaf position [leaves are usually found with the 2 leaf lobes/ears pointing down; like an upside-down rabbit's head]), vividly imagine a rabbit floating on it's back after a flood (reminds you that this is an aquatic plant; loves moist or wet ground). Quickly! Throw the rabbit a life line (the line or rope represents the plant's lateral growing rhizomes [root system]) and pull it to safety. The first thing you notice, after the rabbit is on shore, is a very lager taranchula spider (leaf veins all originate from a single point [where leaf blade meets leaf stalk] like the legs from the spiders body) that crawls from the rabbit's stomach. The taranchula thanked the rabbit for saving it's life by letting him ride rather than letting him drown. They both turn to thank you then the 3 (white rabbit among 3 subjects represent the 3 white petals of each flower and the white milky sap contained in the leaves and stems) of you go your separate ways (the 3 white petals are evenly spaced; like the lines of the Mercedes Benz logo).

MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: When you see darts (erect stems) sticking out of the ground (the unbranched [except where flowers occur], erect stems bolt from a basal rosette of leaves [the dart board]), you might have found the “Hot Dart Board” plant. What do you need to play darts? A board (rosette of leaves) and some darts (stems represent the shaft, the flowers represent the flights, and the leaves [because of their lance shape and connection to the dart board in this mnemonic] represent dart tips [note they are lance not arrow shaped; like a true dart tip). Now check to see if they’re hot. A hot dart board will melt the tips (lance shape leaves have "curled and wavy" [represents heat contortion] edges) of darts, hot darts will cause the plastic flights (the wings of a dart [relatively smooth edges with no teeth]; ours have tri-flights; 3-winged structure not 4; found at the top of the dart or stem; where the plant’s 3-winged flowers and 3-winged fruit are found and can be examined) to blister (prominent, egg-shaped bump on the back and near the base of each of the 3 large wings) and the heat of them both will cause other parts of the plant to have red hot spots (stems, flowers, fruit and/or leaves usually have “reddish"-brown spots or blotches; leaves and fruit become entirely “reddish”-brown or “reddish”-purple with age).

In the distance, seeing blood spilled out on the ground (female flowers are reddish in color; yellow-green male flowers are within a few feet). Upon taking a closer look you see the arrowheads (leaves are arrowhead-shaped), which drew the blood (leaves/arrowheads can also have a reddish tint/stain; with or without the reddish tint or the occasional flowering stem, seeing an arrowhead on the ground will remind you of blood being spilled), litter the ground.