Spider plant edibility

Shule · #1

I read that spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) leaves were edible. I've eaten them a couple times. They taste pretty good, actually, but they're a touch fibrous. HOWEVER, I discovered today that the flower stalk stems while very non-fibrous are NOT edible. I could tell just by the feel in my mouth that it was pretty toxic. I had to rinse my mouth out a few times, too before that burning toxic feeling went away; just spitting it out wasn't enough. So, don't eat those stalks with the spiderettes on them.

It's kind of wild how one part of a plant can be just fine and another not so much. Now I wonder about the roots.

karstopography · #2

Shule wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2024 5:36 am I read that spider plant leaves were edible. I've eaten them a couple times. They taste pretty good, actually, but they're a touch fibrous. HOWEVER, I discovered today that the flower stalk stems while very non-fibrous are NOT edible. I could tell just by the feel in my mouth that it was pretty toxic. I had to rinse my mouth out a few times, too before that burning toxic feeling went away; just spitting it out wasn't enough. So, don't eat those stalks with the spiderettes on them.

It's kind of wild how one part of a plant can be just fine and another not so much. Now I wonder about the roots.

Isn’t rhubarb sort of the opposite. Stalks good, leaves toxic?

Shule · #3

Yeah.

The chemical feels a lot like the toxin in an overripe eggplant with the skin on, but significantly more powerful. The burning sensation was spreading down my throat pretty quickly before I washed it out (without me swallowing).

Shule · #4

Oh, it's also worth noting that it was a freshly sprouting stalk (it hadn't been there for a while).

Shule · #5

I wonder if they're saponins or alkaloids. We could find out pretty easily if it's saponins by crushing it up and seeing if it foams like soap if you try to wash something with it.