Thistle - Milk

Scientific Name(s): Silybum marianum
Abundance: uncommon
What: roots, leaves, young flowers, seeds
How: roots raw or cooked; young leaves raw or steamed after removing spines; flowers are steamed; seeds roasted or pressed for oil.
Where: sunny fields
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: Vit. C, calories
Dangers: Spines must be removed before cooking or eating. Some people may be allergic to milk thistles, especially those allergic to artichokes.

Medicinal Properties:
Flowers/Leaves/Stem/Seeds* - protects and heals liver (raw, tisane)
*greats medicinal property found in the seeds

Leaf Arrangement: Basal and alternate along the stem.

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Leaf Shape: Deeply lobed, obovate, spiny green leaves with distinctive white marbling.

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Leaf Venation: Pinnate with one main vein running from the base towards the tip.

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Leaf Margin: Has both teeth and lobes.

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Leaf Color: Spiny green leaves with white veins and noticeable white coloring following the veins.

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Flower Structure: Thistle-like, mildly-scented, purple-pink flower heads (2" across) subtended by spiny bracts.

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Flower Color: Purple-pink.

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Fruit: Small, dry, one-seeded fruits (achenes) attached to a parachute-like structure called a pappus.

Seeds: Each with a pappus for wind dispersal, resembling a small, brown, elongated seed.

Stem: Grooved, hollow, and may be covered in a light cottony fuzz.

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Hairs: Simple hairs on the leaf blade with no glands, not tangled or wooly.

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Height: Grows up to 6 feet tall.

Milk thistle.


Milk thistle seedling.


Slightly older milk thistle.


Close-ups of a milk thistle flower.




Milk thistle seed, which science has found to be a powerful source of liver-detoxification compounds.


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.


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


Milk thistles are easy to identify by their height (upwards of 6' tall), beautiful purple flowers, and white veins on blue-green leaves. Start looking for it in open fields in mid-February though depending on the weather they can be found into early summer.

The stem is tasty when peeled and then eaten raw, but try to get it before the flowers have opened. The leaf center "rib" is also tasty after the rest of the leaf (and prickers) are stripped away. The roots can be roasted for a coffee substitute.

They have a long history of medicinal use, especially for treatment of the liver. A tea made from all parts of the plant is the usual method of treating the liver though the seeds have the most effect according to recent research. Link to medicinal usage.

Beware mistaking White Prickly Poppy (Argemone albiflora) for milk thistle. Prickly poppy leaves are much narrower (less than 1" wide in lobed portions) and significantly less "milky" in the veins. If unsure, let the plant form flowers, which are white with yellow centers on prickly poppy.

Prickly Poppy leaf.


Prickly poppy flower.



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.

Sow Thistle

Scientific name: Sonchus oleraceus
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, stems, roots
How: Young leaves in salads, steamed or boiled; stems can be peeled then steamed like asparagus; roots are very bitter and generally considered to be edible in dire circumstances after roasting or boiling; coffee can be made from roasted roots.
Where: yards, fields, disturbed areas, sunny
When: Early spring through fall
Nutritional Value: Rich in vitamins A,Bs,C and some minerals
Dangers: Don't mistake poisonous Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) or Texas Groundsel (Senecio ampullaceus) for Sow Thistle.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - antidepressant; antioxidant; antimicrobial; soothes urinary tract inflammations including from kidney stones; sedative; fever reducer; anti-inflammatory; pain reliever (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves of young plants form a basal rosette and then leaves are alternating up the stem once it appears. 

Leaf Shape: Variable, typically runcinate or lyrate-pinnatifid; deeply lobed with rounded lobe margins, resembling a dandelion leaf. Basal leaves can be broadly obovate (egg-shaped with the wider end toward the tip) and up to 8 inches long and 4 inches wide. Stem leaves smaller and less deeply lobed. Stem leave may wrap around the stem.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate; veins branch off a central midvein in each lobe, reaching the lobe margin without further branching.

Leaf Margin: Leaf edges are sharply serrate. 

Leaf Color: Bright green, often with a paler underside. Younger leaves may have some purple tints.

Flower Structure: Flower heads with numerous strap-shaped ray florets around the outside and tubular disc florets in the center. Flower heads are approximately 1" across and arranged in clusters at the ends of stems and at leaf-stem junctions.

Flower Color: Bright yellow; ray florets sometimes slightly more vibrant than disc florets.

Fruit: Dry, flattened achenes with a pappus of white bristles, aiding wind dispersal. Each achene contains a single seed. Achenes approximately 1/8 inch long and 1/16 inch wide.

Seed: Single seed per achene, small and brown, about 1/16 inch long.

Stem: Erect, smooth, and hollow, producing white sap when cut/damaged. 

Hairs: Absent; no hairs present on any plant parts.

Height: 6-36 inches.

Sow thistle.


Closeup of leaves wrapped around stem.


Young sow thistle plant.


Slightly older sow thistle.


Sow thistle flowers.

Photo courtesy of Wildcat

Sow thistle flowers (never opened, opened, and gone to seed).


Young sow thistle flower buds. Pickle the ones that haven't opened by soaking them in leftover pickle juice for at least six weeks in the refrigerator. Buds that are still flat or slightly dipped inwards are the ones you want such as those directly above the ruler. Buds that come to a point have already opened and aren't worth eating.


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.


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


This weed can be found everywhere and is very rich in vitamins and other nutrients. The plant body looks a lot like bull thistle but sow thistle has a number of small, yellow flowers rather than one bulbous purple or tan flower. Also unlike bull thistle stem fibers, sow thistle fibers make poor cordage.

My favorite way to eat sow thistle is to pick and steam the young plants before they've produced any flower buds. The steamed stalk/leaves go great with steamed carrots.

Another great treat is pickled sow thistle buds. Simply pick flower buds before they have ever opened and drop them in leftover pickle juice. Let them soak for six weeks and they become a wonderful nibble, very similar to pickled capers.


To make coffee from sow thistle roots roast the roots in a 400F oven until they turn dark brown. The dark brown the darker the resultant coffee. Grind the browned roots in a coffee grinder and then use the results as you would regular coffee grounds to make a caffeine-free coffee.


Don't mistake poisonous Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) for Sow Thistle. Both their flowers look very similar but Groundsel leaves are blunt and fuzzy whereas Sow Thistle leaves are spiky and hairless. Also, a closer look at the flowers reveals black tips at the ends of the calyx (the collar around the base of the flowers).

Common Groundsel (poisonous).


Close-up of Common Groundsel flowers (poisonous). Note the black triangles at the bases of the flowers.


Texas Groundsel (Senecio ampullaceus) also has flower buds shaped like Sow Thistle but it's buds are yellow and its ray petals are fewer in number but wider than Sow Thistle's.


Texas Groundsel leaves wrap around the stem in the same manner as Sow Thistle but its leaves are fuzzy and covered in fine threads, seeming like spider webs.


Edible Dandelion Mimics:
Dandelion
Cat's Ear
Chicory
Japanese Hawkweed
Salsify
Sow Thistle
Texas Dandelion
Wild Lettuce


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.

Sweet Potato

Scientific Name(s): Ipomoea batatas
Abundance: common
What: leaves, tubers
How: Leaves raw, boiled then sautéed; tubers boiled, roasted
Where: landscaping
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: calories, fiber, protein, vitamins C,B6, riboflavin, thiamin and niacin, minerals K, P, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Cu

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternately arranged along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are variable, ranging from heart-shaped to palmately lobed or entire, typically measuring 2 to 6 inches in width and length.

Leaf Venation: Venation is palmate, with a multiple veins running from base of leaf out to its edges and lobe tips. 

Leaf Margin: Margins can be entire, lobed, or wavy, depending on the variety.

Leaf Color: Ranges from green to purple or reddish, sometimes variegated.

Flower Structure: Flowers are funnel-shaped, borne on short stalks, and typically 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter.

Flower Color: Usually pink, purple, or white.

Fruit: Produces a capsule containing 4 black seeds.

Seed: Seeds are small, black, and angular, about 0.1 inches in diameter.

Stem: Stems are long, slender, and vining, often rooting at the nodes.

Hairs: Stems and leaves can be smooth or sparsely hairy.

Height: The plant is generally sprawling, with vines extending several feet in length.

Sweet Potato vine.


Close-up of Sweet Potato leaves.


Sweet Potato tubers.




Sweet Potato tuber cut open, note they are not orange.


Purple Sweet Potato vines are the most nutritious of the different varieties.

Picture contributed by Eric Cee of SPEAR Survival.

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


Few plants seem to thrive in the Texas summer heat like Sweet Potatoes. There prolific, yellow-green vines explode in late June and on until cold fall weather (if any) appears. In a sheltered spot they can ever survive all year long in Houston and locations farther south. This durability, low water requirements, and resistance to the sun's burning rays make them an extremely popular, low-cost landscaping plant...resulting in highly nutritious food all over the place!

While the young, tender leaves can be eaten raw in salads and on sandwiches, most people prefer to make them more tender with a quick boil, followed by sautéing them in butter with onions, garlic, or other herbs. Think of the leaves as another spinach substitute, though Sweet Potato leaves don't shrink up nearly as much as spinach.

The tubers of decorative Sweet Potatoes lack the huge quantity of vitamin A (and its resultant orange color) found in Sweet Potatoes raised specifically as food. The fluctuations in available water cause these pale, though mineral and calorie rich, tubers to grow in spurts, usually resulting in cracked surfaces. While these fissures make cleaning and peeling the tubers somewhat difficult, they don't affect the flavor. Note though, the flavor will be somewhat "rougher" and less sweet than the Sweet Potatoes you are used to.

The number of tubers per plant is much less than one normally finds with the food crop version but considering how many plants there are of this, if one falls the fall landscaping crew digging up these vines and replacing them with winter plants, you easily gather your fill! Also note, like regular potatoes, these tubers can be used to make alcohol. Woohoo!


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.

Trifoliate Orange/Bitter Orange/Hardy Orange

Scientific name: Poncirus trifoliat
Abundance: plentiful
What: Mature fruit
How: juice and zest as seasoning and as a lemonade replacement
Where: partially shady woods
When: late fall
Nutritional Value: Vitamin C
Other uses: The the twisted and intertwined branches covered in sharp 2" long spines make this a great security hedge. This tree is used as a root-stock for grafting other citrus fruits.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are trifoliate (compound with three leaflets), each leaflet measuring approximately 1 to 2 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: The leaflets have prominent veins.

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

Flower Structure: Hardy orange produces fragrant, white flowers, typically around 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, bumpy, and rough-skinned citrus resembling a small orange. The diameter of the fruit can range from 1.5 to 2.5 inches.

Bark: The bark is often thorny, with sharp, stout spines.

Height: Hardy orange plants can grow to be 8 to 12 feet tall.

Hairs: The leaves and stems are typically smooth without noticeable hairs.

Thorns: The plant is often characterized by thorns or spines on the branches.

Color of Flowers: The flowers are generally white.

Color of Fruit: The fruit turns from green to yellow as it ripens, resembling a small, wrinkled orange.

Unripe trifoliate oranges.


Full-sized, though not yet ripe fruit.


Ripe fruit (December, near Houston).




Ripe fruit cut in half. Note all the seeds and lack of flesh.


Close-up of flowers.


Trifolate orange leaves. Note the three (tri) leaves (foliate) on each stem.


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.


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


These thorny trees look out of place in Texas and rightly so since they aren't native. However, their root stock is resistant to many common citrus diseases and so most citrus fruit sold in Texas is actually grafted on to this rootstock. Sometimes the rootstock will grow a "sucker" that eventually gets large enough to produce the original, bitter, tiny oranges of this species. The seeds are easily germinated, resulting in this tree spreading through Texas woods. It loses its leaves in the fall resulting in a deep green, thorny beast covered in small, yellow-orange fruit.

The golf ball sized fruit of this tree ripens in the fall about the time the tree loses its leaves. This fruit is extremely sour so only a little bit is needed for flavoring. There is no edible flesh inside the fruit, just a large number of seeds. For maximum amount of juice, let it sit for two weeks after picking before squeezing.The skin can be used to make a zest for cooking and cocktail garnish.


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.

Turk's Cap

Scientific name: Malvaviscus arboreus
Abundance: common
What: flowers, fruit, young leaves
How: Flowers and young leaves raw or cooked; flowers can make pink lemonade type drink; fruit can be made into tea or preserves.
Where: shady areas, often used in landscaping
When: Flowers can appear all year long if warm enough.
Nutritional Value: Flowers high in antioxidants; seeds are high in protein & starch; leaves high in minerals; fruit high in vitamin C

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged alternately along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are generally ovate to lanceolate, with a length ranging from 3 to 6 inches and a width of 2 to 4 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is palmate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are typically serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The upper surface of the leaves is dark green, while the underside may have a lighter green color. Young leaves will be a lighter green, turning darker green as the mature.

Flower Structure: The flowers are unique, with a distinctive tubular shape resembling a Turkish fez or cap. The diameter of the flower can range from 1 to 2 inches. Each flower has five fused petals, forming the cap-like structure.

Flower Color: The flowers come in various colors, including shades of red, pink, or white.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, round capsule resembling a slightly flattened apple. The fruit easily splits along very faint seams.

Seed: Seeds are small, brown, and found within the "apples" one per segment.

Stem: The stems are generally upright and may have a reddish or green color when young and brown when older.

Hairs: The stems and leaves are covered in fine, upright hairs giving them a fuzzy texture.

Height: Turk's Cap plants typically range in height from 3 to 8 feet, depending on growing conditions and variety.

Young turk's cap leaves in the spring.




Turk's Cap shrub/bush in the summer and already flowering.


Close-up of Turk's Cap flower.


Close-up of Turk's cap flower.


Close-up of fruit.




Pancakes with Turk's Cap flowers are delicious!


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.


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


It's hard to miss Turk's Cap shrubs in the summer. Their multitude of bright read, uniquely-shaped flowers set against dark green foliage draw not just the human eye but also many butterflies and hummingbirds. These native mallows, related to hibiscus, okra, and cotton thrive across Texas due to their ability to handle shade or sun, wet or dry soil, heavy clay or sandy ground, though they prefer well drained soil with only partial sun exposure. In full sun they stay closer to the grown and spread out to end up looking "leggy". In ideal conditions of partial sun and well drained but moist soil they grow into thick, beautiful shrubs five to six feet tall. With fall's cool weather Turk's Cap loses its leaves and remains bare through the winter. Come spring light green, velvety leaves appear which grow larger, darker green, and rough in texture. By late spring/early summer the strange, rolled flowers appear with the single "antenna" sticking out the center. These flowers eventually give way to small, dark-red fruit at the end of summer.

Turk's Cap are a wonderful source of foods. The young, tender leaves can be used like spinach but cook them to soften their texture. Steaming, sautéing, boiling, or stir-frying are all good ways to cook these leaves. Actually, boiling is a terrible way to cook just about any leafy green but so be it.

The flowers are also wonderful raw, tasting like honeysuckle. The flowers are loaded with nectar at mid-morning and again in mid-afternoon. Watch the hummingbirds, they'll often swarm the plant when the flowers are at their sweetest. These flowers can also be used either fresh or dried to make tea.

The fruit is ripe when it is dark reddish-orange with no white skin present. These fruit taste like apples but with very little tartness, mainly just a light sweetness. They and their seeds can be eaten raw though the seeds are better if lightly toasted. The berries can also be made into jelly, jam, wine, or dehydrated.

While not edible, the bark (both inner and outer) can be used to make a decent cordage. Stripping the bark will usually kill the plant so save this for emergency situations.


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.