Sheep Sorrel

Scientific Name(s): Rumex acetosella
Abundance: common
What: leaves, seeds
How: young leaves raw, older leaves cooked; seeds toasted then threshed
Where: sunny fields
When: spring
Nutritional Value: vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrates in seeds
Dangers: oxalic acid

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - soothes nasal inflammations; reduces bronchitis (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves grow in a basal rosette when young, and are arranged alternately along the stem as the plant matures.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are small and arrow-shaped or lanceolate with two pointed lobes at the base, typically measuring about 1 to 3 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein and smaller veins branching out towards the leaf edges.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are smooth (entire).

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bright green, sometimes with a reddish tinge, particularly in the lobes.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and borne in dense, elongated clusters on tall, slender stalks.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually green or reddish.

Fruit: The plant produces a small, triangular, winged fruit that start green in color and turn yellow/red as they get older.

Seed: The seeds are enclosed within the winged fruit and are small and brown.

Stem: The stem is erect, slender, and can be reddish-green. Stem may be full red at maturity.

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

Height: Sheep Sorrel typically grows to a height of 6 to 18 inches.

Very young sheep sorrel plant.


Slightly older sheep sorrel plant

Mature sheep sorrel leaf and stalk.


Sheep sorrel stems and seedpods turn red as they approach the end of their life.


Close-ups of sheep sorrel leaves. They can vary quite a bit in width.




Sheep sorrel seedheads.


Close-ups of immature sheep sorrel seeds.




Mature Sheep sorrel seedpods turning red.


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.
SHEEP SORREL ARE FOUND IN JUST ABOUT EVERY COUNTY IN TEXAS

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


In early winter rosettes of arrowhead-shaped leaves appear in open, sunny fields. These small, early plants quickly grow into large clumps of taste, sour leaves. The seed stalks and mature seeds have a reddish color and since usually grow among many brother/sister plants by late winter/early spring fields with sheep sorrel will have a very distinctive reddish hue.

Look for the arrowhead-shape leaves of sheep sorrel in early spring. By April in Houston the plant will have already gone to seed. The young leaves have a tangy, lemon flavor that is excellent raw by itself or added to salads. In Poland a delicious "Cream of Sorrel" soup is made with wine, cream, garlic, butter, and assorted other stuff. A similar soup can be made by adding chopped sheep sorrel leaves to a can of cream of mushroom soup plus a dash of wine. Don't tell your Polish cook friends this as they get rather touchy over it. :-/


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.

Shepherd's Purse

Scientific name: Capsella bursa-pastoris
Abundance: uncommon
What: seeds, young leaves
How: seeds raw, young leaves raw or cooked
Where: sunny disturbed areas
When: early spring through late winter
Nutritional Value: minerals

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stem/Flower - hemostatic; soothes gastrointestinal and urinary tract inflammations; anti-diarrheal; soothes bronchial passages (tisane, poultice)

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate; leaves spaced evenly along the stem, but slightly offset, not directly opposite each other.

Leaf Shape: Lyrate-pinnatifid; the lower leaves have large, rounded lobes on either side of the central stalk, resembling a lyre, while upper leaves become progressively smaller and less lobed, ultimately becoming lanceolate (long and narrow) near the flower clusters. Lower leaves typically 1-4 inches long and 1-2 inches wide, upper leaves smaller.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate; veins branching off a central midvein in the lower leaves, becoming less distinct in the upper leaves.

Leaf Margin: Lobe margins of lower leaves entire (smooth), upper leaves may have shallow teeth or be entire.

Leaf Color: Green, sometimes with a slightly bluish or grayish tinge.

Flower Structure: Small, white flowers with four petals, arranged in dense clusters at the tops of stems. Being Brassicaceae (mustards), the flowers have the four sepals and six stamens.

Flower Color: White, sometimes tinged with green or pink.

Fruit: Flat, triangular seed pods (silicles) about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and wide. Sillicles have a distinct notch at the tip and a prominent midvein. They turn green to light brown when mature.

Seed: Numerous tiny, reddish-brown seeds within each silicle.

Stem: Erect, slender, and sparsely branching. More than one stalk is possible.

Hairs: Sparse to absent, with occasional fine hairs on stems and young leaves.

Height: 4-24 inches.

Shepherd's purse plant.




Close-up of shepherd's purse seed stalk.






Close-up of flowers.


Basal rosette and roots.


Basal rosette with one young stem.


Close-up of leaves. Note their hairy surface.


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.


Shepherd's Purse plants are common weeds of fields and recently disturbed areas. They can grow stalks up to two feet tall with the heart-shaped seed pods being ~1/2 inch apart and a cluster of small, white flowers at the very tip. Once found you will suddenly see many of them all around you.

The seedpods are small, heart-shaped with a spicy/peppery taste. Eat the whole seed stalk while green or dry then crush the seeds. The leaves are also good but are usually fairly weatherbeaten and tattered. The roots can be cleaned then ground up into a horseradish paste but they are small so it'll take a lot of plants. The lobed leaves grow in a rosette form close to the ground.


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.

Slippery Elm

Scientific Name(s): Ulmus ruba
Abundance: rare
What: leaves, young fruit, inner bark
How: leaves raw or cooked; young seeds roasted or boiled; inner bark dried then ground to flour or used in tea
Where: woods, waste areas, slight shade
When: leaves in spring, inner bark in spring
Nutritional Value:


Medicinal Summary:
Inner Bark - demulcent; soothes skin and gastrointestinal inflammations; cough suppressant (poultice, tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternate along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Elm leaves vary among species, but they are generally elliptical to ovate, with serrated margins. Length can range from 2 to 6 inches.

Leaf Venation: Leaves typically have a pinnate venation pattern with the center vein being a bit off-center, resulting in one side of the leaf being longer than the other.

Leaf Color: Foliage color varies among species but is generally green.

Flower Structure: Elm trees are monoecious, meaning they have separate male and female flowers on the same tree. The flowers look like a cluster of short spikes topped with tiny hotdog buns.

Flower Color: Slippery elm flowers are are reddish or purplish. Other species of elm may have green or yellow-green blossoms.

Fruit (Samara): The fruit is a flat, round, samara which look somewhat like small fried green eggs. Dimensions can vary, but they are typically around 1/2 to 1 inch across with a raised center dot.

Bark: Bark appearance varies among elm species. It can be smooth, rough, fissured, or even corky.

Height: Elm trees can vary widely in height, from 30 to 100 feet, depending on the species.

Hairs: The surface of the leaves are covered in tiny, stiff, short hairs that all point towards the tip of the leaf. These hairs cause elm leaves to feel smooth when stroked base to tip, but rough when stroked tip to base.

Wood Color: Heartwood color ranges from light to dark brown.  

Slippery elm tree.


Another slippery elm tree.


Toothy, jagged, asymetrical slippery elm leaves.


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.


The trunks of Slippery Elms (Ulmus ruba) rarely fork until they are twenty feet tall, unlike it's similar cousin the American Elm (Ulmus americana) which forks at as little as five feet tall. The Slippery Elm can also easily be identified by removing a small bit of bark from the tip of a branch. If it feels slippery/slimey you have the right tree. The inner bark of slippery elm trees is a highly regarded herbal medicine. The slimey inner bark is dried then ground into a powder that, when made into tea, has a soothing effect on any part of the body it touches, both internally and externally. The dried powder can also be used as a flour substitute.

Please only harvest the inner bark in an emergency. Slippery elms are under attack by bark-poachers who are stripping the trees to sell the bark illegally. If you must harvest the bark, take it from trees that are ten or more years old and only remove a thin vertical strip covering less than 10% of the tree's circumference. Taking more than this will kill the tree.

The seeds appear in the spring and look like little fried eggs to me. They have a small, flat, circular seed encased in a flat, papery, circular pod. Eat greens one right off the tree. Collect the mature pods and then roast them. This will make the outer pod crisp and easy to remove by grinding the pods between your hands and winnowing the useless chaff from the nutritious seeds. Once collected, the seeds can be ground into a flour or boiled like a porridge.


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.

Smartweed

Scientific name: Polygonum persicaria, Polygonum hydropiper, Polygonum spp.
Abundance: common
What: young leaves, seeds
How: raw, boiled, or steamed
Where: along shores; in still, shallow water; or other moist areas; sunny or shaded
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: antioxidants
Dangers: Thoroughly wash or cook this plant to kill any dangerous aquatic microbes

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - capsicum antifungal; increases blood circulation, soothes muscle and nerve pain (tincture, infused vinegar, liniment, salve)

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate; leaves arranged one at a time along the stem with no opposite pair.

Leaf Shape: Elliptic to lanceolate; elongated with pointed tips and rounded bases, typically 1-4 inches long and 1/2-1 inch wide.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate; veins branching off a central midvein, resembling a bird's wing feathers.

Leaf Margin: Entire; smooth and unbroken edges.

Leaf Color: Bright green, sometimes with a reddish tinge on the undersides or along the veins.

Flower Structure: Tiny flowers clustered in very noticeable, dense spikes at stem and branch tips. Each flower has four petals and six stamens, but each flower is only about 1/16" across.

Flower Color: Flowers, when present, are white.

Fruit: A small, dry achene enclosed within the persistent tepals. Achenes are roughly triangular and about 1/16 inch wide.

Seed: Single seed per achene, small and brown.

Stem: Erect and slender, typically growing 6-24 inches tall. Stems are hollow and often reddish or tinged with purple.

Hairs: Sparse to absent; fine hairs may be present on young stems and leaves, but generally smooth to the touch.

Height: 6-24 inches.

Smartweed thickets




The leaves of smartweeds alternate and the base of the leaves wrap around the stem.


Another type of smartweed with white flowers.


Close-up of smartweed flower stalk.


Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are

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


Found in thick clusters along river, stream, ponds and other moist areas, Smart weeds are a common sight throughout spring, summer, and fall. There unique flower stalks with tiny white flowers make them easy to spot even from a distance. They are related to Lady's Thumb (Polygonum persicaria) which is found in similar setting but has pink flowers.

Smartweeds are have a very hot peppery flavor and it only takes a few to spice up a dish. However, the flavor isn't released immediately but shows up after a little chewing. The flavor doesn't withstand cooking very well and is better used as a seasoning added just before eating.


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.

Spatterdock

Scientific name: Nymphaea lutea
Abundance: uncommon
What: seeds
How: seeds-raw or roasted
Where: still or slow-moving water
When: seeds-August to September
Nutritional Value: protein
Dangers: root are too bitter and nasty to eat, regardless of what you may have read in a book.

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate, floating, arising from underwater rhizomes.

Leaf Shape: Nearly circular with a radial notch, 8 to 16 inches across.

Leaf Venation: Radiate from the leaf's center, connected to the petiole.

Leaf Margin: Smooth and entire.

Leaf Color: Green on the upper surface, with a possible purplish hue underneath.

Flower Structure: Solitary with multiple petals and stamens, floating or slightly above water.

Flower Color: Yellow, typically more vivid at the petal base.

Fruit: A globular capsule, green to brown, opening upon maturity.

Seed: Small, round, encased in a spongy aril for buoyancy.

Stem: Flexible petioles connect leaves and flowers to the underwater rhizome.

Hairs: Absent; surfaces are smooth.

Height: Determined by water depth, with petioles and flower stalks rising to the top or a few inches above water level.

Spatterdock in drying pond. Normally they would be in water rather than mud.


Spatterdock flower


Root tuber and young leaves. Peterson's Guide to Wild Edibles is wrong, these suck!!


Another picture of the tuber and more mature leaves.


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.


Found in lakes, ponds, relatively slow-moving streams across North America, the lily pads and small, yellow flowers of Spatterdock are common sight. Many books on wilderness survival and edible wild plants talk about the rich source of life-saving calories to be found in the thick roots of Spatterdock...and if you've ever successfully eaten a Spatterdock root I tip my hat to you. I've never found any whose bitter taste didn't make me throw up. Seriously, don't bother trying to eat these tubers/roots!! Whatever other book you've read that says these are good food are lying to you!

The seeds formed in the flower-bodies aren't nearly as bitter and taste best roasted. Eat those.


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.

Spiderwort

Scientific name: Tradescantia species
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, stem
How: leaves salad, stem steamed or cooked
Where: shade, partial sun, woods, fields
When: spring, late summer, fall
Nutritional Value: minor amounts of vitamins and minerals
Other uses: the normally blue stamen hairs indicated mutation by turning pink when exposed to radiation. The same effect has since been observed when the dayflower plant is subjected to chemical pollution.

Medicinal Summary:
Stem Sap - demulcent; soothes inflamed skin; soothes insect bites and stings; soothes gastrointestinal and urinary tract inflammations; laxative; helps control high blood sugar (poultice, tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate; single leaves spaced evenly along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Linear-lanceolate; long and narrow with parallel sides and pointed tips, measuring 2-6 inches long and 1/2-1 inch wide.

Leaf Venation: Parallel; multiple unbranched veins running longitudinally along the length of the leaf.

Leaf Margin: Entire; smooth and unbroken edges.

Leaf Color: Deep green, sometimes with a bluish-gray sheen.

Flower Structure: Three petals, typically rounded and overlapping, arising from a cup-shaped calyx. Stamens: six, with yellow anthers. Pollen bright yellow.

Flower Color: Variable, most commonly blue-violet to purple, but also pink, rose, or rarely white. Flowers open in the morning and close by afternoon.

Fruit: Capsule; dry, splitting open at maturity to release numerous small seeds.

Seed: Globose; round and shiny, about 1/16 inch in diameter, black or dark brown.

Stem: Erect and clumping; unbranched or sparingly branched, growing 1-2 feet tall. Smooth and hairless.

Hairs: Absent; no hairs present on any plant parts, depending on the specific species.

Height: 1-2 feet.

Spiderwort.


Clump of spiderwort plants.


Close-up of mature spiderwort stems.


Spiderwort flower, flowerbeds, and stem.


Close-up of spiderwort unopened flower buds.


Close-up of spiderwort flowers.




Spiderwort leaves.


Mucilaginous slime from Spiderwort stem.


Stemless Spiderwort (Tradescantia subacaulis)lacks a stem...which is probably obvious from the name.

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.


I love this plant because it is nutritious and can be found in many parts of Texas area almost all year long. Spiderworts seem to prefer shady, sandy soil along streams and ponds but can appear anywhere it's moist, even low spots in sunny fields. They grow upright on pencil-thick stems, too about the height of two feet. They'll have a cluster of a few opened flowers and many unopened flower buds. Each flower opens in the morning and rarely lasts beyond noon. New flowers appear each morning, all spring, summer, and fall, even lasting into the winter if the weather is mild enough. The leaves are long, tough, slightly rough, with a parallel venation. Looking closely at the leaves, you'll notice they clasp/wrap around the stem with a bit of the leaf running down the stem. Hard frosts will kill it back to the ground but it'll be back and ready to eat in about two months.

All parts of the plant are edible but due to the overall toughness of the plant, I generally only eat the flowers and flower buds. The sap of these plants is very mucilaginous, similar to okra and aloe vera. Rubbed on minor (1st degree) burns this sap brings relief. Also like okra, it can be used to thicken stews, just chop up the stem really fine. The longer the bits of stem are simmered the softer they'll become.


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.