Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it.
Cool topic. I have some botany background and here are some California plants/fungi that I have collected and/or ingested at one time or another:
Plants
Miner's lettuce (
Claytonia parviflora) - young leaves are tender and edible in salads
black elderberry (
Sambucus mexicana) - had a pie made from the berries one time; the berries are kind of seedy and you need lots of sugar
California bay laurel (
Umbellularia californica)- very aromatic leaves can be used in marinara or other red sauces; similar to Mediterranean bay (
Laurus nobilis) but more strongly flavored
California blackberry (
Rubus ursinus) - grows almost like a weed along streams throughout California; berries are tasty
blue ##### (yeah, i know :snicker
(
Dichelostemma capitatum) - the small bulbs are starchy and kind of like a flavorless potato; they can be eaten raw or fried; the Native American California tribes collected them as an important supplemental food source
various gooseberries (have prickly berried) and currants (small, smooth berries) -
Ribes spp. - grow commonly in chaparral throughout California
wild grape (
Vitis californica) - tiny sour grapes that I've tasted but wouldn't want to eat in large quantities
bigberry manzanita (
Arctostaphylos glauca) - berries are dry but sometimes tasty, kind of like a dried out fruit roll-up
California wild rose (
Rosa californica) - the rose hips can be chewed or made into tea and supposedly have one of the highest concentrations of Vitamin C occuring in nature
common water cress (
Nasturtium officinale) - grows like a weed along shallow streams but young leaves are edible in salads
wild mint (
Mentha spp.) - introduced from Europe during the settling of California but commonly found in shady wet places and along streams
beaver tail (or prickly pear) cactus (
Opuntia basilaris) fruits
single leaf pinyon pine (
Pinus monophylla) seeds/nuts
chickweed (
Stellaria media) - another European introduction that can be used in salads
Fungi
bearded tooth/lion's mane (
Hericium erinaceus) - a friend and I found one growing on the side of a rotted log years ago; it was past it's prime but we harvested some and we each tried a small sliver of it because we weren't exactly sure it was safe; we later found they are supposed to be choice edibility when fresh
giant puffball mushroom (
Calvatia gigantea) - I found a couple softball sized ones a few years ago and made homemade pizzas with them; delicious
and of course... golden chanterelles (Cantharellus californicus) - about one of the best wild edible things provided you can find them; I haven't been able to find any spots yet; they grow mainly along the Coast live oaks (
Quercus agrifolia) and can command upwards of $30/lb; a friend of mine at work found a stash years ago (several pounds) and gave me a few big ones; sauteed them up and they were incredible