Ohio Native Plants Vs. Tortoise Table

[Baldy Aeschylus]

I have cross referenced the Ohio state wild plants resource with The Tortoise Table and have come up with a good guide for this part of the US based on the Genus of the plant.

Let me know if you have any suggestions, these are only the plants for which i was able to find information.

Safe To Feed By Genus:
- Campanula
- Carex
- Elymus
- Geranium
- Morus
- Sedum
- Ulmus
- Viola

Feed In Moderation By Genus:
- Betula
- Cardamine
- Claytonia
- Corylus
- Fagus
- Hamamelis
- Helianthus
- Heuchera
- Lonicera
- Lysimachia
- Magnolia
- Phlox
- Polemonium
- Rosa
- Tiarella
- Tilia
- Tradescantia

Feed Sparingly By Genus:
- Acer
- Prunus
- Rubus
- Salvia

NEVER Feed By Genus:
- Actaea - Aesculus - Allium
- Anemone - Athyrium - Cornus
- Delphinium - Dennstaedtia - Dicentra
- Euonymus - Eupatorium - Fraxinus
- Houstonia - Hydrangea - Hypericum
- Impatiens - Iris - Juglans
- Juniperus - Kalmia - Lilium
- Maeianthemus - Oxalis - Parthenocissus
- Phacelia - Pinus - Polygonatum (personal fav)
- Populus - Quercus - Ranunculus
- Ribes - Sambucus - Senecio
- Silene - Solidago - Symphoricarpos
- Taxus - Tephrosia - Thalictrum
- Tsuga - Viburnum

Getting my planter box ready for some Testudo Mix, but have been mixing my torts food up with some of the SAFE plants listed. Hope this helps, it definitely clarified alot for me when I'm hunting weeds in the yard.

 

[2turtletom]

I am a botanist for the state of Ohio. I'm curious what list you are referring to as the "Ohio State Wild Plants Resource." For me, two of my tortoises staples grow readily in their pen. Taraxacum officinale and Plantago major. They prefer these two plants, and readily pick them out. They do occasionally munch on Viola, but prefer dandelion and plantain. Also, white mulberry, which is a common weedy tree, is another great food that you can easily grow. None of these species are native, but grow around the world.

I think that list is pretty good that you came up with- especially things to provide in an outdoor enclosure that will be safe to feed, if not necessarily staples.

What tortoise(s) are you feeding?

 

[Baldy Aeschylus]

http://ohiodnr.gov/portals/0/pdfs/invasives/Upland-Woods-plants.pdf
My apologies, I forgot the link. I used the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: Selected Ohio Native Plants for Landscape and Restoration Use from 2007; Upland Woods Species.
I realize it doesn't represent all of the species, but the upland woods edition had the most on it.
Some day they need to incorporate that Garden Answer app and the Tortoise Table app and just have it give you the name of the plant and whether your tortoise can eat it.
I have an eastern hermann's tortoise, he's still tiny though and a very picky eater. He only likes his Mazuri and white clover so far, nibbles on a bunch.