About This Project

What is this?

Edible Plant Database is a free, non-commercial community project. Our goal is to make information about the world's edible plants easy to search, browse, and explore through a modern interface — so that anyone from home gardeners to researchers to foragers can discover what's edible and where it grows.

The database currently covers over 35,000 species with details on common and scientific names, edible parts, cultivation methods, nutritional data, and geographic distribution. We're actively enriching records with photographs, descriptions, and additional data to make each entry as useful as possible.

Data sources

The core plant data comes from the Food Plants International (FPI) database, a remarkable catalogue compiled by Bruce French over decades of fieldwork and research. The original database exists as a FileMaker Pro application — an incredible resource, but not easily searchable or accessible online. This project was created to give that data a modern, searchable interface so more people can benefit from it.

We supplement the FPI data with content from other open sources:

• Plant photographs — sourced from iNaturalist (community-contributed, Creative Commons licensed) and Wikimedia Commons
• Plant descriptions — sourced from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Plant identification — powered by the Pl@ntNet API

All images are displayed with their respective license and attribution information. For a full breakdown of image licenses and redistribution terms, see the content licensing page. If you believe any content has been used incorrectly, please get in touch so we can address it.

Community contributions

This database is a living resource — anyone can help improve it. Every plant page has an Edit button that lets you suggest changes to descriptions, uses, cultivation info, and more. All edits are reviewed before going live, and a full version history is kept for every change, similar to Wikipedia. Learn more about contributing.

Join the community

Signed-in users unlock a few extra features that make the site more useful:

• Community forum — ask for help identifying plants, share foraging finds, discuss cultivation, or swap regional knowledge with other plant enthusiasts.
• Personal collections — save plants to your own private lists. Build a "foraging targets", "plants in my garden", or "to research" list — whatever makes sense for you.
• Upload photos — contribute your own plant photography with Creative Commons licensing.
• Submit missing plants — propose new species for the database that aren't yet listed.
• Auto-attributed edits — your contributions are credited to your chosen display name.

Sign-in is passwordless — just enter your email and click the link we send. No password, no tracking, no data shared with third parties. Your display name is auto-generated (like Verdant-Fern) so you can participate without revealing your identity.

Offline access

The entire database is available as a downloadable Kiwix ZIM file — browse all 35,000+ species fully offline, with photos and search. Useful for remote fieldwork, emergency preparedness, or just having a personal archive. Download it here.

Non-commercial project

This is a passion project, not a business. There are no ads, no paywalls, no tracking, and no data collection. The site is built and maintained voluntarily for the benefit of the community. The source data belongs to Food Plants International — we're simply providing a new way to access it.

Subprocessors

Edible Plant Database relies on a small number of third-party services to operate. We track their operational status publicly via Pingoru — if you're seeing trouble loading the site, photos, or sign-in emails, it's often visible here first:

Important safety disclaimer

Never eat any plant based solely on information found on this website. Plant data is sourced from third parties and may contain errors or inaccuracies. This database is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for expert guidance.

• Many edible plants have toxic look-alikes that can cause serious harm or death
• Edibility can vary by plant part, preparation method, season, and individual sensitivity — not all parts of a listed plant are necessarily edible
• Some plants require specific processing (cooking, soaking, leaching, fermentation) to remove toxins before consumption
• Some plants are included for non-food uses (dyes, fibres, medicine, construction) and may not be safe to eat
• Allergic reactions are possible even with commonly eaten species

Always verify plant identification with multiple qualified sources and consult with local experts before consuming any wild or unfamiliar plant. The authors and contributors to this project accept no responsibility or liability for any adverse effects resulting from the use of information presented here.

Spot a mistake? This is a community wiki — every plant page has an Edit button. If you see incorrect or dangerous information, please help us fix it.

Contact

Found an error? You can fix it yourself using the Edit button on any plant page. For other questions or suggestions, reach out at [email protected].