Global Regional Plant Guides

Atlantic Forest & Araucaria Highlands Plant Survival Guide

A comprehensive survival plant guide for Atlantic Forest & Araucaria Highlands, covering useful woody materials, land foods, aquatic foods, traditional-use plants and poisonous look-alikes.

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Cover of Atlantic Forest & Araucaria Highlands Plant Survival Guide

Continent: South America
USDA-equivalent zones: 8-11
Köppen climate: Cfa / Cfb
Profiles: 20
Regional biome: Subtropical rainforest, araucaria plateau and river forest

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Useful plants · 5 Land edibles · 5 Aquatic edibles · 3 Traditional-use · 3 Poisonous look-alikes · 4

Useful plants

Wood, fibre, shelter and craft

Monkey puzzle / parana pine

Araucaria araucana / A. angustifolia

Useful plants

Stylized form diagram for Monkey puzzle / parana pine

Identify: Tall conifer with stiff overlapping scale leaves and very large globose cones producing large seeds.
Habitat: Andean volcanic forest or Atlantic highland araucaria forest, depending species.
Season: Seeds late summer-fall; wood year-round.
Field use: Large seeds are documented food after cooking; strong straight wood has construction history.
Caution: Trees are protected or culturally important in many places. Falling cones are dangerous.
Look-alikes: Other Araucaria species differ in leaf and cone form.

food seedconstructionfuel

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South American mountain bamboo

Chusquea spp.

Useful plants

Stylized form diagram for South American mountain bamboo

Identify: Solid or nearly solid segmented culms; dense branching at nodes; narrow grass leaves.
Habitat: Andean and Atlantic montane forest, often forming thickets.
Season: Culms year-round; shoots seasonal.
Field use: Arrow shafts, basketry, shelter lattice, containers and friction-fire spindles; shoots of selected species require expert preparation.
Caution: Dense thickets hide cliffs and animals. Some bamboos flower and die en masse.
Look-alikes: Reeds are hollow and rooted in wetlands rather than woody mountain thickets.

arrow shaftbasketryconstructionbow drill spindle

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Southern beeches

Nothofagus spp.

Useful plants

Stylized form diagram for Southern beeches

Identify: Small alternate toothed leaves; tiny nuts in cupules; bark and leaf persistence vary by species.
Habitat: Patagonian, Andean and Australasian temperate forest.
Season: Wood year-round; leaves and nuts seasonal.
Field use: Dense wood for poles, pegs, handles and fuel; forest type helps read moisture and elevation.
Caution: Old trees may be protected and dead stems can be internally rotten. Nuts are too small to be a dependable food.
Look-alikes: Myrtle-family trees often have opposite leaves and aromatic oil dots.

polesfuelhandlespegs

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Alders

Alnus spp.

Useful plants

Identify: Oval toothed leaves; catkins; woody cone-like female structures persist through winter.
Habitat: Wet thickets, streambanks, avalanche tracks and disturbed forest.
Season: Wood year-round; leaves growing season.
Field use: Straight stems for racks and wattle; seasoned alder burns evenly and is widely used as smoking wood.
Caution: Wet alder smokes heavily; dense thickets can hide unstable banks.
Look-alikes: Birch lacks persistent woody cones.

poleswattlefuelsmoking

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Dogwoods

Cornus spp.

Useful plants

Identify: Usually opposite branching; arcuate leaf veins curve toward the tip; clustered flowers and drupes.
Habitat: Forest edge, riparian thicket and mountain slope.
Season: Stems year-round; fruit varies by species.
Field use: Dense straight shoots make excellent arrow shafts, skewers and pegs.
Caution: Fruit edibility varies greatly; some species cause stomach upset. Use as material unless species is confirmed.
Look-alikes: Viburnums may have opposite leaves but different veins and buds.

arrow shaftpegsskewers

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Land edibles

Terrestrial food species

Maqui

Aristotelia chilensis

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Opposite or nearly opposite toothed leaves, reddish petioles and clusters of small purple-black berries.
Habitat: Patagonian and Chilean forest edge, disturbed ground and streams.
Season: Fruit late summer-fall.
Field use: Ripe berries are documented food and can be dried or cooked.
Caution: Avoid roadside or sprayed plants; concentrated extracts are not field medicine.
Look-alikes: Elder has compound leaves and flat fruit clusters.

food fruit

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Wild passionfruits

Passiflora spp.

Land-based edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Wild passionfruits

Identify: Tendrilled vine; distinctive radial flowers; round to oval fruits; leaves often lobed.
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical forest edge, thicket and riverbank.
Season: Fruit seasonal.
Field use: Fully ripe fruit of confirmed edible species is documented food; vines can provide temporary lashings.
Caution: Many species have cyanogenic leaves or unpalatable fruit. Eat only known ripe fruit, not unknown foliage.
Look-alikes: Cucurbit vines have separate flower structure and rough stems.

food fruitlashing

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Guava

Psidium guajava

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Opposite oval leaves with strong parallel side veins; smooth peeling bark; white brush flowers; aromatic fruit.
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical disturbed ground, forest edge and river terraces.
Season: Fruit varies by climate; wood year-round.
Field use: Ripe fruit is documented food; hard close-grained wood makes pegs, handles and friction-fire spindles.
Caution: Fruit can host insects and feral plants may be sprayed. Leaves are not a substitute for medical care.
Look-alikes: Other Myrtaceae share opposite leaves; fruit odor and flower structure help confirm.

food fruithandlesbow drill spindle

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Wild roses

Rosa spp.

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Prickly stems; compound toothed leaves; five-petaled flowers; red to orange hips.
Habitat: Open woods, thickets, prairie, dunes and mountain slopes.
Season: Hips late summer through winter.
Field use: Fleshy hip walls are documented food after the irritating hairs and seeds are removed; good for simmering or drying.
Caution: Internal hairs irritate skin and mouth. Avoid sprayed or moldy fruit.
Look-alikes: Hawthorn has simple lobed leaves and woody thorns.

food fruitcordage

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Stinging nettle

Urtica dioica

Land-based edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Stinging nettle

Identify: Opposite sharply toothed leaves; fibrous stems; translucent stinging hairs; green flower clusters.
Habitat: Rich disturbed soil, river terraces, old camps and forest openings.
Season: Young tops spring; fiber later.
Field use: Young tops are documented food after thorough cooking or drying; mature stems yield strong bast fiber.
Caution: Wear gloves; do not eat raw. Internal use can affect medicines and kidney conditions.
Look-alikes: Dead-nettles do not sting and have showier mint-family flowers.

food greencordagefiber

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Aquatic edibles

Water-margin food species

Cattails

Typha spp.

Water and wetland edible plants

Identify: Tall flat strap leaves; dense brown cylindrical female flower spike below a narrower male section.
Habitat: Marshes, pond edges, slow channels and wet ditches.
Season: Shoots spring; pollen early summer; rhizomes year-round where lawful.
Field use: Documented food parts include young inner shoots, pollen and processed rhizome starch. Leaves make mats, baskets and thatch; seed down can bulk tinder.
Caution: Water can concentrate sewage, metals and parasites. Raw rhizome requires correct processing; avoid contaminated marshes.
Look-alikes: Yellow flag iris has sword leaves and showy flowers but no brown cattail head.

food shootfood starchbasketrythatchtinder

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Watercress

Nasturtium officinale

Water and wetland edible plants

Identify: Creeping hollow stems; pinnate leaves with a larger rounded terminal leaflet; small white four-petaled flowers.
Habitat: Cold flowing springs and streams, often where nutrient-rich.
Season: Cool seasons.
Field use: Tender tops are documented food and are usually cooked in survival settings.
Caution: Raw watercress can carry liver flukes and sewage pathogens. Avoid downstream of livestock, roads or settlements.
Look-alikes: Water hemlock has divided leaves and umbrella flowers; never rely on habitat alone.

food green

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Temperate water lilies

Nymphaea / Nuphar spp.

Water and wetland edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Temperate water lilies

Identify: Round floating leaves with a slit; solitary flowers; thick rhizomes anchored in sediment.
Habitat: Ponds, lakes and slow river backwaters.
Season: Flowers summer; rhizomes year-round.
Field use: Seeds and rhizomes of selected species have documented food use after intensive species-specific processing.
Caution: Raw rhizomes can be bitter or irritating; water quality and correct genus matter. Do not confuse with toxic aquatic aroids.
Look-alikes: Lotus leaves are peltate and rise above water; water lily leaves usually float and are not fully circular.

food seedfood starch

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Traditional-use

Documented traditional medicine

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Identify: Aromatic finely divided leaves; flat clusters of small white to pink flower heads.
Habitat: Dry openings, trails, grassland, shore gravel and disturbed soil.
Season: Summer through fall.
Field use: Documented traditional external uses include washes and aromatic preparations; dry flower heads make light tinder.
Caution: Possible allergy, pregnancy and anticoagulant concerns. Not a substitute for wound cleaning or medical care.
Look-alikes: Poison hemlock is much taller with hollow purple-spotted stems and true umbels.

medicinetinder

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Broadleaf and ribwort plantains

Plantago major / P. lanceolata

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Stylized form diagram for Broadleaf and ribwort plantains

Identify: Basal rosette with strong parallel ribs; leafless spikes of tiny flowers and seeds.
Habitat: Trails, camps, meadows and disturbed soil.
Season: Spring through fall.
Field use: Young leaves and seeds are documented food; clean leaves have traditional external use on minor irritation.
Caution: Do not put dirty leaves on open wounds. Seeds swell with water and can obstruct if taken dry in quantity.
Look-alikes: Docks have netted veins; plantain ribs run from the base.

food greenmedicine

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Mugworts

Artemisia vulgaris complex

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Identify: Aromatic deeply lobed leaves, commonly silvery beneath; small inconspicuous flower heads.
Habitat: Disturbed ground, steppe, forest edges and riverbanks.
Season: Summer through fall.
Field use: Documented traditional uses include aromatic smoke and digestive preparations; dry stalks can be tinder.
Caution: Avoid internal use during pregnancy or with seizure disorders. Species identification is difficult.
Look-alikes: Ragweeds lack the silvery underside and have different flowers.

medicinetinder

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Poisonous look-alikes

Do not eat — verify before harvest

Water hemlocks

Cicuta spp.

Poisonous plants

Stylized form diagram for Water hemlocks

Identify: Wetland perennial with divided leaves, white umbrella flower clusters and thick chambered rootstocks.
Habitat: Marshes, wet meadows, stream edges and ditches across the northern hemisphere.
Season: Spring through fall.
Field use: No survival use. Make wetland root gathering a prohibited activity unless a qualified botanist is present.
Caution: Extremely poisonous; small amounts, especially roots, can cause violent seizures and death.
Look-alikes: Angelica, cow parsnip and other Apiaceae can look similar. Never taste to decide.

poison

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Angel’s trumpet

Brugmansia spp.

Poisonous plants

Stylized form diagram for Angel’s trumpet

Identify: Woody shrub or small tree with very large hanging trumpet flowers and soft leaves.
Habitat: Andean and tropical American disturbed forest and cultivation.
Season: Year-round in warm climates.
Field use: No use.
Caution: All parts contain dangerous tropane alkaloids causing delirium, overheating, seizures and death.
Look-alikes: Datura has upright trumpets and spiny capsules but is equally toxic.

poison

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Castor bean

Ricinus communis

Poisonous plants

Identify: Large star-shaped palmately lobed leaves; spiny capsules; glossy mottled seeds.
Habitat: Warm disturbed ground, riverbanks and tropical/subtropical waste areas.
Season: Growing season; seeds seasonal.
Field use: No survival food or medicine use. Oil extraction is industrial, not a field process.
Caution: Chewed seeds can release ricin and cause severe or fatal poisoning.
Look-alikes: Jatropha has similar lobed leaves but different fruit; it is also toxic.

poison

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Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea

Poisonous plants

Identify: Tall spike of purple, pink or white tubular flowers with spotted throats; soft wrinkled basal leaves.
Habitat: Roadsides, clearings, old farms and disturbed temperate ground.
Season: Late spring through summer.
Field use: No field medicinal use.
Caution: All parts contain potent cardiac glycosides and can cause life-threatening rhythm disturbances.
Look-alikes: First-year rosettes can resemble comfrey or mullein.

poison

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