Edible flowers: which ones you can eat and which you cannot

Before any list, the warning that matters:

Do not eat flowers from a florist or a nursery

Cut flowers and ornamental plants are grown with pesticides and fungicides that are not fit for human consumption, at doses that are not regulated for food because nobody expected anyone to eat them. Washing them is not enough: many of these products are systemic and sit inside the plant's tissue.

Edible flowers are bought as food, at specialty produce stores or health food stores, or grown at home without agrochemicals. That is the only safe way.

The ones you can eat

Flower	Flavor	Use
Nasturtium	Peppery, like arugula	Salads. The easiest to grow
Calendula	Mild, slightly bitter	Color in rice dishes and salads
Pansy and viola	Very mild	Decorating desserts
Squash blossom	Vegetal, delicate	Stuffed and fried
Elderflower	Floral, sweet	Syrups and drinks
Lavender	Intense, aromatic	Baking. Use a little
Rose (petals)	Fragrant	Syrups, desserts, jams
Jasmine	Very aromatic	Infusions
Borage	Cucumber-like	Drinks, salads
Herb flowers	Like the leaf	Basil, rosemary, chives

The ones you cannot

These are toxic, and several are among the most common in an Argentine living room:

• Lily of the valley (muguet): highly toxic, affects the heart.
• Oleander: one of the most toxic ornamental plants there is.
• Foxglove (digitalis): the source of digitalin. Dangerous.
• Daffodil, hyacinth, tulip: the bulbs and the plant are toxic.
• Calla lily, anthurium, pothos, monstera: calcium oxalate, an irritant.
• Hydrangea: contains cyanogenic compounds.
• Ranunculus and azalea.

Three rules

1. Positive identification. If you do not know for certain what it is, do not eat it.
2. Start small. Flowers can trigger allergic reactions, especially if you are allergic to pollen.
3. Remove the stamens and the white base of the petals, which tends to be the bitter part.

A fun fact

Many things we eat every day are flowers without our realizing it: broccoli and cauliflower are inflorescences, the artichoke is a flower head, and saffron is the stigmas of a flower —which is why it is the most expensive spice in the world—.