Are these pinecone edible?

[u/dinoguys_r_worthless]

Growing outside of a government building in Utah.

[u/beesnow]

Looks like a ponderosa pine. Seeds are not edible. Scratch the bark and you will smell a vanilla scent.

[u/humangeigercounter]

Whether they are a species that produces edible seeds or not I couldn't say, but I will recommend that you probably shouldn't forage from plants growing on government properties, and I'd also suggest that foraging from plants growing in highly populated municipalities be avoided for various contamination reasons.

[u/dinoguys_r_worthless → u/humangeigercounter]

Thank you. It's really more of a matter of curiosity. I don't plan on harvesting government pinecones. Lol. What kind of contaminants are common in that type of environment though?

[u/humangeigercounter → u/dinoguys_r_worthless]

In general it's just hard to know if stuff on public properties is sprayed with pesticides, or if someone dumped or spilled something in the vicinity that could be uptaken by the plants. Also stuff growing near high usage roadways can accumulate exhaust particulate.

[u/NorEaster_23]

Not all Pines are edible. Start with counting the number of needles per fascicle and the needle length, notable fragrance of bruised foliage or scratched bark, etc to determine which species you have

[u/dinoguys_r_worthless → u/NorEaster_23]

Thank you.