Showing posts with label Marshes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marshes. Show all posts

Arrowhead/Wapato

Scientific Name(s): Maranta spp. and Sagittaria spp.
Abundance: uncommon
What: tubers, young leaves, young flower stalks
How: boiled, roasted
Where: marshes, water
When: tubers all year, best in late fall and early winter; young leaves in early summer; flower stalks well before flower buds have opened.
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates
Dangers: Beware the similar-looking arrow arum, (Peltandra virginica) plant which has an arrowhead-shaped leaf and produces tubers same as Sagittaria species.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are alternately arranged along the stem, typically emerging from the water or mud.

Leaf Shape: Arrowhead-shaped (sagittate), measuring 4 to 12 inches long and 2 to 6 inches wide.

Leaf Venation: Venation is palmate, looking like a spider, starting at where the stalk meets the leaf and branching out to the edges of the leaf.

Leaf Margin: Margins are smooth and entire.

Leaf Color: The leaves are generally a glossy green, sometimes with a slightly bluish hue.

Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in whorls on a spike, with each flower having three white petals and three green sepals.

Flower Color: White, often with a yellowish center.

Fruit: Produces small, round, green fruits that turn brown as they mature.

Seed: Seeds are small, numerous, and contained within the fruit.

Stem: Stems are long, thick, and can be either submerged or emergent, depending on the water level.

Hairs: There are no hairs; both the stems and leaves are smooth.

Height: The emergent stems and leaves can reach 2 to 3 feet in height above the water surface.


Arrowroot tuber (photo courtesy of Samuel Thayer).
Arrowhead Tubers ST IGFB25

Arrowroot plants have many long veins radiating outwards from the center (palmate).
Arrowroot

Arrowroot leaf and flower stalk with white flowers and unopened buds.
Arrowrootflower

Note the spider-like (palmate) pattern of veins in the arrowhead-shaped leaves.
Arrowroot2

A stand of wapato plants.
Arrowroot1

Close-up of wapato flowers.
WapatoFlower

Arrowroot seedpods in the fall. One pod forms for each flower.
Arrowhead

Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
ArrowheadTX

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Arrowhead

Found in marshes, rivers, lakes and ponds, the arrowhead plant’s distinctive leaf and flowers are easy to spot. Most arrowhead plants have three-pointed leaves shape like an arrowhead, with either the top point bigger and broader than or the same as the two downward pointing points. The vein pattern in the leaves of Sagittaria species is palmate, which means the leaves have numerous thick veins running from the stem out to the tips and sides. This pamate venation is important to distinguish the edible Sagittaria from toxic Arum species.

Traditionally arrowroot tubers are freed from the mud by tearing them from the roots while walking barefoot in the water. The tubers float to the surface where the can be collected. They are prepared for eating by first peeling the bitter outer skin, followed by cooking any way you would cook a potato. The young leaves are harvested and boiled before they've had a chance to unroll/unfurl. The flower stalk is cooked like asparagus but it must be harvested before its flower buds have opened. Note, any plants harvested from water must be cooked to avoid imbibing any toxic pathogens.

Note that arrowhead tubers do not store very well, unlike traditional potatoes. If you want to keep them make sure you are storing only perfect, undamaged tubers and place them in moist, clean sand in a cool, dark place.

Young, still curled leaves that are either above or below the surface of the water make an excellent cooked green. Treat them like spinach. The young flower stalk before the flower buds appear can be used in the same manner as the leaves.

TOXIC MIMIC: ARROW ARUM PLANT
Arrow arum plants (Peltandra virginica) grow in wetlands, and have a leaves-with the same arrowhead-shape as the edible Sagittaria, as well as similar tubers. All parts of the arum plants are filled with calcium oxalate which will cause painful burning sensations in the lips, mouth, and throat if eaten. To tell the difference between arrowhead plants and Arum arrowhead plants look at the pattern of veins in the leaves. Toxic arrow Arum leaves have only three main veins, one each running out from the center out to the points of its leaf. From these three main veins branch out smaller veins, much like you see in a "normal" leaf of other plants. The edible arrowhead leaf has many veins radiating out from the center of the leaf where it connects to the stem, making it kind of look like a spider. These veins meet up again at the tips/points of the Sagittaria leaf.

Toxic Arrow Arum leaf.
























Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Box Elder

Scientific Name: Acer negundo
Abundance: common
What: sap, seeds, young sprout, inner bark
How: sap is boiled to syrup; young sprouts raw or cooked; inner bark boiled; seeds are roasted
Where: lowland & moist areas; often along water; windbreaks
When: spring, summer, fall, winter
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates, protein, fiber
Dangers: none, though young seedlings may look like Poison Ivy

Medicinal Summary:
Inner Bark - vomit inducer

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are opposite-alternating, meaning they are arranged in pairs along the stems but each pair is shifted 90 degrees from the pairs above and below it.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are compound, typically with three to seven leaflets, each leaflet measuring 2 to 4 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: The leaflets have prominent veins.

Leaf Margin: Leaflet margins are serrated, featuring small teeth.

Flower Structure: Box elder trees produce small, inconspicuous flowers in clusters, typically appearing in early spring.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically yellowish-green.

Seed: The seeds are paired, winged samaras, each measuring about 1 to 2 inches in length.

Bark: The bark is smooth and light gray on younger trees, becoming rougher with age, displaying furrows and ridges.

Height: Box elder trees can grow to be 30 to 50 feet tall.

Hairs: None on leaves or other surfaces.

Color of Seeds: The seeds, or samaras, start green when young and then mature to a light brown with a papery wing.

A young Box Elder tree.
Box Elder

Close-up of young Box Elder bark. When mature the ridges and furrows will be much larger and craggier.
BoxElderBark2

Unripe Box Elder "helicopters". The seeds will be opposite the "fin". They'll be twice this size, dry, and tan when ripe.
BoxElderSeeds

Mature seeds.
Box Elder IGFB

Box Elder compound leaf (top). They have five leaflets.
BoxElderLeafTop

Box Elder compound leaf (bottom). The top section may look tri-lobed in this picture but it is three separate leaflets.
BoxElderLeafBottom

The trunk of a Box Elder sapling. Note the rich, green color.
Box Elder

Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
BoxElderTX

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
BoxElder

A large part of my childhood was spent up among the branches of the giant Box Elder tree in our backyard. Well, it seemed like a giant tree when I was a kid. These amazingly fast-growing trees max out around 70 feet tall and 30 feet wide. The wood is weak and any big winds will cause branches to drop including those greater than one foot in diameter. Never park under a Box Elder in a storm! These damaged areas quickly lead to the inner heartwood rotting away, making it popular with assorted birds, mammals, and bugs. They do not handle the full Texas sun well, preferring to grow in the partial shade of other trees. They fairly common in East Texas, much less common in the Hill Country and North Texas, and rare to non-existent in West Texas

Box Elders have thick, coarse bark when mature and compound leaves. Both these features hide the fact that they are in the maple (Acer) family. Being maples, they can be tapped for sugary sap in the late winter. Complete directions for tapping maples for syrup can be found here: Making Maple Syrup & Sugar.

Come the warmth of spring, many Box Elder seedlings will sprout up. These are tasty treats to deer, rabbits, and humans! Get them when they are still tender and under eight inches tall. It will have a green, smooth bark and three-part leaves. Actually, the young seedlings look a bit like Poison Ivy to the untrained eye so make sure you know what you are eating. The first set of side leaves of Box Elder are symmetrical whereas Poison Ivy side leaves are asymmetrical with "thumbs" pointing away from the center leaf. The second set of Box Elder leaves will have asymmetrical "thumbs", similar to Poison Ivy.

The inner bark of these trees, like other maples, are edible and contain a fair amount of carbohydrates. Finely chop this inner bark then boil it. Be sure to drink the water to get all the calories. This boiled bark will be a bit sweeter than most other non-maple barks but a flavoring agent will help improve its taste. This inner bark is available all year long though its sugar-content will be highest in the later winter when the sap is flowing.

Box Elder seeds are, in my opinion, the best part of the tree. They grow in "helicopter" shells with two joined together at the stem. Come fall, the ripe shells will break apart and fall spinning to the ground. This fluttering motion will send them a small distance from the mother tree. Treat these seeds like pumpkin seeds except they must be freed from their helicopter shell before boiling them for ten minutes in salt water then salting and roasting them at 400F for 10-20 minutes. Cooking time depends on how crisp you want the final product.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Cow Parsnip

Scientific name: Heracleum maximum
Abundance: rare
What: young leaves, stem, roots, seeds
How: leaves-raw/cooked; stem and roots-peel then boil; seeds-dry then add to soups and stews
Where: shade, borders, woods, marsh
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: sugars/calories in stem and roots
Dangers: WARNING: Similar-looking to deadly, foul-smelling hemlock! Also, juice and hairs of cow parsnip can irritate skin and contains suspected cancer-causing chemicals.

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate, with leaves large and deeply lobed.

Leaf Shape: Broadly ovate, with deep lobes and a serrated or toothed margin. Mature leaves can be over 16" across at their widest.

Venation: Palmate, with a prominent central vein and visible lateral veins branching off in each lobe.

Margin: Serrated or toothed, particularly towards the leaf tip.

Leaf Color: Bright to dark green, with a slightly coarse texture.

Flower Structure: Compound umbels, large and flat-topped, with numerous tiny flowers in each umbel.

Flower Color: White, sometimes with a slight pinkish hue.

Fruit: Flat, oval, two-seeded schizocarps.

Seeds: Small, flat, and attached in pairs.

Stem: Tall, stout, and hollow, often with purplish or reddish blotches.

Hairs: Generally hairless, but the stem may have fine bristles.

Height: Typically grows between 4 to 10 feet tall.

Cow parsnip plant (almost seven feet tall).
CowParsnip1

Closeup of flowers.
CowParsnipFlowers

Another view of flowers.
CowParsnipFlowers2

Mature seedhead of cow Parsnip.
Cow Parsnip

Leaves of cow parsnips are huge, well over twelve inches across.
CowparsnipLeaf

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
CowParsnipMap_NA

Look for Cow Parsnips in partially shady areas where water (usually a stream) meets woods. They seem to prefer hardwood forests to pine.

While not quite on par with Pokeweed, Cow Parsnips do require caution when harvesting and preparing the young shoots. Like Pokeweed, harvest the shoots when they're under 9" tall but you'll also want to take the cow parsnip's root. Wear gloves and arm guards while collecting them so the furanocoumarin chemical in the sap and surface needles can't adhere to your skin. If this chemical does get on you it'll make those areas of skin super-sensitive to sunlight, resulting in patches of 2nd degree sunburns.

Still the plant is quite tasty. Saute the diced-up leaves, stem, and roots in butter, oil, or bacon grease along with onions or garlic for a few minutes. They'll shrink a little but not disappearing like spinach. Hit them with a dash of cedar-infused apple cider vinegar and have at them!


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Creeping Cucumber

Scientific name: Melothria pendula
Abundance: uncommon
What: green (unripe) fruit
How: raw
Where: woods, borders, stream banks
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates and protein
Dangers: The seeds/fruit contain a POWERFUL laxative when ripe, so avoid purple or black fruit, only eat light-green ones.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Melothria pendula are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are usually simple, ovate to cordate, measuring approximately 1 to 2 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: Palmate venation, with multiple veins running outwards from the base to the edges of each leaf.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically entire or slightly toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually medium green.

Flower Structure: The flowers are1/4" across, with 5 notched petals fused together at their bases, and occur in small clusters at leaf-stem junctions.

Flower Color: Flowers are yellow.

Fruit: The immature fruit is small, green, and ovoid, resembling miniature watermelons about 1" in length. Ripe fruit is very dark purple and also about 1" long.

Seed: Inside the fruit are small, flat, and brown seeds.

Stem: The stems have tendrils, located at the leaf-stem junction, for climbing.

Hairs: Leaves may have extremely fine hairs.

Height: Melothria pendula is a low-growing vine, typically trailing or climbing, and can reach varying heights.


Creeping Cucumber vine with unripe but edible fruit.
CreepingCucumber2

Unripe fruit (which is when you eat it), flower, tendril, and leaf.
CreepingCucumber1
The leaf is at a bad angle so you can't see it's true shape.

Close-up of Creeping Cucumber fruit at the right stage to eat.
creepingCucumberFruit2

Fruit cut in half.
CreepingCucumberFruit1

Creeping Cucumber leaf.
CreepingCucumberLeaf

Close-ups of the Creeping Cucumber flower.
CreepingCucumberFlower

Five petals fused at the bases, with a notch in the top of each.
CreepingCucumberFlower2

Ripe, purple Creeping Cucumbers, which should not be eaten!
Creeping Cucumber
Picture courtesy of Wildcat.

Busted open, the insides of ripe Creeping Cucumbers seem grape-like but with flat, pale seeds.
Creeping Cucumber

Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
CreepingCucumberTX

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
CreepingCucumber

Creeping Cucumbers are tiny, delicious, cucumber-flavored fruit that look like little watermelons when young but then turn a dark purple/black when ripe. Do NOT eat the ripe (purple/black) fruit! At that stage they are an incredibly powerful laxative. Only eat the light-green, watermelony looking fruits.

These vines are found in moist areas both in sun and in shady areas. I've found them along stream banks in the deep shade of the Texas Piney Woods as well as growing along a sunny wall in downtown Houston where a sprinkler kept the soil wet. They begin growing in early spring and continue to live through the summer and fall. They can even be found through the winter if it is mild enough, but a frost usually kills them.

The unripe, light-green fruit is eaten raw without peeling and really does taste just like a cucumber. Use it anywhere you would use a cucumber, though I have not tried making pickles out of them. There's no reason pickling them shouldn't work. The vines will produce new fruit as long as it lives so it's quite common to find flowers, unripe fruit and ripe fruit all on the same vine right up until a frost hits.

I am not kidding when I say the ripe (purple/black) fruit is a powerful laxative. Its bowel-purging effects hits very rapidly and very uncontrollably and can result in serious injury to the body from dehydration.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Dollarweed

Scientific name: Hydrocotyle spp.
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, stems
How: raw
Where: yards, marshes, water
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: some minerals
Dangers: Thoroughly wash plants collected from water to remove any harmful bacteria.

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves emerge singly on long petioles from creeping stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are round and peltate, meaning the leaf stalk attaches to the center of the leaf blade. They typically measure 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Leaf Venation: Venation is obicular, radiating out from the central point where the petiole attaches.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are scalloped or toothed.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a bright, glossy green, sometimes with a slightly lighter color in the center.

Flower Structure: Small, umbrella-like clusters of tiny flowers rise on slender stalks from the leaf axils.

Flower Color: The flowers are generally white or pale green.

Fruit: Produces a small, flat fruit, not typically noticeable.

Seed: The seeds are contained within the small fruits, are minute in size.

Stem: Stems are slender, creeping, underground, and rooted at the leaf nodes.

Hairs: There are no significant hairs on the leaves or stems.

Height: The foliage and flowers typically rise a few inches above the ground, with the creeping stems spreading widely along the ground surface.

Dollarweeds domineering wood sorrel, pony's foot, and young cleavers.
Dollarweed Leaves

A yard taken over by dollarweeds.
Dollarweed

Dollarweeds in the woods.
MinersLettuce.jpg

Dollarweeds along the shore of a pond.
Dollarweed3.jpg

Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
DollarweedTX

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Dollarweed

Dollarweed is a common yard weed that drives many people nuts. The single, round leaf with a centered stem seems to explore across otherwise perfect lawns. Mowing them down or picking them leaves the roots behind which will quickly produce a new crop of green disks. These weeds vex homeowners in all but the very hottest and coldest times of the year, becoming most prevalent in the spring and fall.

Dollarweeds the size of quarters or smaller and my favorites, tasting somewhat like cucumber peels. I prefer the younger, more tender, nickel-sized "circles" over larger ones. The larger ones have a dry, slightly bitter/chalky taste. Luckily, Dollarweeds of all sizes can be fermented like cabbage to make "dollarweed-kraut" or a yard-based version of kimchee. Just pick the circles, leave the stingy, tough stems behind.

Dollar weed on left, edible Pony's Foot on right.
Dollarweed Ponys Foot

Some people get confused between dollarweed and pony's foot (Dichondra carolinensis). The leaf of dollarweed is a complete circle whereas pony's foot is cleft, giving it the shape of a horse's hoof.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Duckweed

Scientific name: Spirodela polyrhiza, Lemna minor
Abundance: plentiful
What: whole plant
How: puree and add to soups and stews, sautee in oil or butter, dry then powder for a food additive
Where: still water open to the sun
When: summer
Other uses: Dry, crush, then rub on skin to use as an insect repellent.
Nutritional Value: high in protein
Dangers: this plant must be cooked to kill any dangerous aquatic microbes

Leaf Arrangement: Duckweed does not have true leaves; the plant body is a thallus, which floats directly on the water surface.

Leaf Shape: The shape of the thallus is broadly ovate to round, typically measuring 0.04 to 0.2 inches across.

Leaf Venation: There is no venation; the plant's thallus is a simple structure with a single layer of cells.

Leaf Margin: The margins are entire and smooth, as the thallus is undifferentiated.

Leaf Color: The color is usually a vibrant green but can vary to yellow-green depending on nutrient availability and environmental conditions.

Flower Structure: Flowers are seldom seen and are minute when present, lacking petals and reduced to a simple pistil and stamen.

Flower Color: Flowers, when they do appear, are inconspicuous and generally greenish.

Fruit: The fruit is a utricle, a small, bladder-like, one-seeded fruit, but is rarely produced in natural conditions.

Seed: Seeds are small and also rarely produced; the plant primarily reproduces vegetatively.

Stem: Duckweed does not have a stem; the thallus performs all necessary functions.

Hairs: There are no hairs on duckweed; the plant body is smooth.

Height: As a free-floating plant, duckweed does not have height in the traditional sense; the thickness of the thallus is typically less than 0.06 inches.


Duckweed

Duckweed IGFB

Duckweed

Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
DuckweedTX

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Duckweed

During the warm summer months Duckweed will completely cover sunny, still or slow-moving waters. These plants are the fastest at reproducing known, doubling in surface coverage every two days. On type, Wolffia microscopica, can bud off new plants in as little as 30 hours! Many private lake owners hate the look of a green-covered lake and pump in poisons to kill it...which sucks because among other things this covering of duckweed can suppressed mosquito populations.

Dried duckweed contains 25-45% protein, 4% fat, and 8-10% fiber, which is kind of amazing. Boil it to kill any aquatic microbes which could cause sickness in humans. Because it is so high in protein and grows so fast it is a favorite for use by smart people for chicken and hog food. Really smart people use the dried, powdered duckweed to kick up the nutritional values of their own food.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

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