Cholla Pencil Cactus

Scientific Name(s): Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
Abundance: common
What: fruit
How: raw, jam, jelly, wine
Where: arid, sunny, shade, borders, fields
When: winter
Nutritional Value: calories
Dangers: tiny spines (glochids) can cause a lot of pain and discomfort if not removed from fruit before eating.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are small and ephemeral, with the plant primarily characterized by its stem segments.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are scale-like, very small, and typically fall off early in the season.

Leaf Venation: Not discernible due to the small size and scale-like nature of the leaves.

Leaf Margin: The margins are smooth, as the leaves are more like scales.

Leaf Color: The leaves, when present, are green but quickly become inconspicuous.

Flower Structure: Flowers are solitary and borne at the tips of the stem segments.

Flower Color: The flowers are typically yellow to greenish-yellow.

Fruit: Produces dry, spiny, 3/4" long fruits that are red when ripe, often persisting on the plant. After a certain amount of time, new cholla branches grow from these fruit.

Seed: The seeds are small and found within the dry fruits.

Stem: Characterized by slender, cylindrical stem segments that can be green to or gray-brown depending on age, forming a dense, twiggy shrub.

Hairs: There are no hairs, but the plant has numerous spines and glochids (small barbed bristles).

Height: The plant typically reaches 2 to 6 feet in height.

Cholla cactus aka Christmas cactus aka pencil cactus with fruit in January.


New, green stems of the cactus grow off its fruit.




Close-up of cholla cactus fruit.


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.



Cholla Pencil cactus first appear in the drier areas of east Texas and becomes more and more common as you head west. This cactus is easily recognized by it's long, thin, multi-branched stems intersected by small, red, thorny, tasty fruit. Other names for it include "Tasajillo" and "Christmas Cactus". The red fruit starts appearing in late summer and hangs around through mid-winter. When intertwined with a tree or other support, they can grow almost six feet tall. Their small (1/2") yellow to slightly greenish flowers open in the afternoon and then close by sunset. Look for it in sunny fields, especially along fence lines and other borders. Unlike the fruit of most plants, Cylindropuntia leptocaulis fruits sprout multiple, new stems in late winter/early spring which make collecting these small treats somewhat difficult and time-consuming. Add to that their many thorns and tiny glochids and you have food that really takes some effort to harvest.

This is another plant that requires a thick, leather glove and a sharp knife to harvest. These fruit are too small to use the burning technique to remove their spines/glochids like I do with Opuntia cactus tunas. Carefully trim away the section of skin containing the thorns, then they're ready to eat. I suppose one could juice them or use them to make jelly, jam, or wine but honestly, even though they taste great I'm just to lazy to put in the effort required to harvest more than a quick snack's worth.


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Tree Cholla Cactus

Scientific Name(s): Opuntia imbricata
Abundance: common
What: flower buds, fruit
How: dry, boil, or roast flower buds then use like okra; fruit eaten raw or used like other berries
Where: West Texas desert areas, sunny, hillsides
When: flower buds in spring, fruit in fall & winter
Nutritional Value: unknown
Dangers: spines and glochids must be removed before eating. Large amounts of flower buds can cause diarrhea

Medicinal Summary:
Fruit - diuretic, soothes urinary tract pain/irritation (raw, tisane)
Sap - soothes gastrointestinal inflammations; anti-diarrheal, soothes skin irritations (poultice)
Flower Buds - laxative
Root - prevents kidney stones (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are small, ephemeral, and quickly turn into spines, with the primary structure being the stem segments.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are initially small and cylindrical but soon shrink and dry into sharp, long spines.

Leaf Venation: Not applicable, as the leaves are modified into spines and do not have typical venation.

Leaf Margin: The margins are not defined in the modified spiny leaves.

Leaf Color: The leaves are initially green but are not a significant feature as they are quickly replaced by spines.

Flower Structure: Flowers are solitary, growing from the edges of the stem segments.

Flower Color: The blooms are typically bright pink to magenta, occasionally red or yellow.

Fruit: Produces a fleshy, elongated fruit, often purple or red when ripe.

Seed: The seeds are small and encased within the fruit.

Stem: Characterized by thick, cylindrical, woody stem segments, often referred to as cladodes or pads.

Hairs: There are no true hairs, but spines and glochids (tiny barbed bristles) are present on the stem segments.

Height: The plant can grow into a large shrub or small tree, typically reaching 4 to 8 feet in height.

Tree cholla cactus, also known as cane cholla in Big Bend Ranch State Park, April 2018


Tree cholla flower buds.




Opened flowers of tree cholla.




Unripe tree cholla fruit (they need to be more yellow).


Overly ripe fruit (found in the spring rather than fall/winter).


Dead tree chollas look kind of cool and are surprisingly strong.


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 many-trunked limbs, each about 1.5" in diameter and covered in many ~0.5" spines, of tree cholla dot the hillsides of the southwestern Texas Chihuahuan desert. These common cacti can grow to eight feet tall and in the spring there purple flowers stand out strongly from the reddish-brown desert. In the fall the branch tips will be covered in fleshy, yellow fruit, again about 1.5" in diameter and approximately 1.5" long. Dead tree chollas lose their skin and soft tissue to reveal an odd skeleton of wood perforated with a pattern of oblong, narrow holes. These dead branches are surprisingly tough and are used to make walking sticks.

In the spring the flower buds can be harvested for food but beware the many spines, both large and small, that protect these buds. Tongs and a sharp, long-bladed knife are the best tools for collecting them. Burn off the spines with a propane torch or rub them gently but thoroughly with gravel to break the spines of the buds. Once these spines are removed the flower buds can be dried/dehydrated for later use. Natives of the desert would grind the dried flower buds into a flour-like powder. If you want to use the buds right away I'm told they should be boiled first for a bit to tenderize them some, then use them like okra or Brussel sprouts.

Come fall, the ripe fruit can be collected with the same tongs and knife, followed by removal of the spines. These juicy, yellow fruit have a sour flavor with a salty side. Once the spines are removed they can be eaten raw. Another favorite way to prepare them is in a fruit smoothie. Their salt content can help people in the early stages of dehydration (assuming water is available) by replenishing salts lost to sweating. I'm think slices of the fruit would work as a pickle-substitute on a hamburger but I haven't had a chance to try that yet.


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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.


Unripe fruit (which is when you eat it), flower, tendril, and leaf.

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.


Fruit cut in half.


Creeping Cucumber leaf.


Close-ups of the Creeping Cucumber flower.


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


Ripe, purple Creeping Cucumbers, which should not be eaten!

Picture courtesy of Wildcat.

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


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.


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.

Cucumber Weed

Scientific Name: Parietaria pensylvanica
Abundance: rare
What: leaves
How: raw, steamed
Where: shade, moist areas, yards
When: spring
Nutritional Value: potassium
Dangers: a small percentage of people are allergic to this plant and break out in hives if they eat it

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stem - diuretic, in particular to help flush out kidney stones (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate, with leaves spaced somewhat evenly along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Lanceolate to ovate, with a length typically ranging from 1 to 2.5 inches.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate, with a prominent midvein and several less prominent lateral veins branching off.

Leaf Margin: Entire, meaning the edges of the leaves are smooth without teeth or serrations.

Leaf Color: Bright green to yellow-green, often with a slightly paler underside.

Flower Structure: Small and inconspicuous, clustered in groups along the stem near the leaf axils (leaf-stem junction).

Flower Color: Green, blending with the foliage.

Fruit: Not commonly observed, but when present, are small, dry, and one-seeded.

Seeds: Tiny, with a hard outer coating.

Stem: Erect to ascending, typically ranging from 6 to 18 inches in height, with a green to reddish-green color.

Hairs: Covered with short, soft hairs, giving the plant a slightly fuzzy texture.

Height: Usually between 6 to 18 inches tall.

Young cucumber weed seedlings (November in Houston).


A lone, multi-stem Cucumber Weed hanging out next to a very old barn.


Close-up of single stem. Note flowers are directly attached to stem and leaves "zig-zag" up it.


Close-up of stem showing how flowers appear at the base of leaves.


Close-up of Cucumber Weed flowers. Like the leaves, they are green and hairy.


Close-up of mature leaf. It's edges are smooth, without any bumps/teeth.


Even closer close-up of leaf. Note the hairs, especially along the leaf's edge.


TOXIC MIMIC - Don't mistake members of the Acalypha genus for Cucumber Weed. They look similar in size, shape, and habitat but their actually easy to tell apart.


Acalypha leaves (picture below) lack hairs and have toothed edges unlike the smooth, hairy edge of Cucumber Weeds.


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.


While not listed by the USDA as found in Harris and Montgomery counties of Texas, I find it in those locations quite often.

"Cool as a cucumber" is a good way to remember when to hunt Cucumber Weed. These small, delicious weeds appear in the cooler days of late fall through early spring, usually in moist, shady areas that see a lot of human traffic and the resulting soil damage. The particularly seem to like growing along cement foundations of buildings which suggests to me they prefer somewhat alkaline soils. They'll often be intermingled with other edible and non-edible weeds.

Cucumber Weed leaves zig-zag up the stem, alternating from side to side but since the square stem twists as it grows the leaves end up in a spiral. Along the upper portion of the stem two hairy, green flowers grow at the base of each leaf. These flowers are attached directly to the stem on either side of the leaf.

Use this cucumber-flavored plant raw in salads or smoothies. Supposedly it's good steamed then mixed with pasta in a white sauce, having a much milder flavor than spinach.

A number of members of the Acalypha resemble Cucumber Weed. Remember, if the leaf has teeth/bumps along its edge and isn't hairy you have a toxic Acalypha and NOT an edible Cucumber Weed.


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.

Cudweed

Scientific Name(s): Gnaphalium, Pseudognaphalium, and Gamochaeta species
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, stem
How: tea, smoked
Where: yards, fields, disturbed areas
When: fall, winter, spring
Nutritional Value: medicinal
Dangers: do not eat, only smoked or drank as tea

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stem/Flowers* - improves breathing during congestion, emphysema, and asthma (tisane, smoked)
*plant should be allowed to die and dry in the ground to develop medicinal properties

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate, with leaves spaced along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Lanceolate to oblong or spatulate, usually between 1 to 3 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate, with a central midvein and less prominent side veins.

Leaf Margin: Entire, meaning the edges are smooth and without teeth or serrations.

Leaf Color: Green to gray-green, on top but always a silvery or woolly appearance underneath due to fine, dense hairs.

Flower Structure: Composed of small, clustered heads with each head containing several tiny, tubular flowers.

Flower Color: Typically white, cream, or yellow, depending on the species.

Fruit: Small, dry, one-seeded, encased in a papery involucre.

Seeds: Equipped with a pappus, which is a tuft of hair-like structures aiding in wind dispersal.

Stem: Erect, sometimes branched, covered in dense hairs, and ranging in height from a few inches to over a foot.

Hairs: Dense and woolly, giving the plant a soft, fuzzy texture.

Height: Varies widely by species, typically ranging from a few inches to over a foot tall.

Grey-colored cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) are considered the best medicine of the common yard weed.


Mature cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum)going to flower.


Close-up of cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) stem. Note the fuzzy stem and alternating leaves.


Close-up of cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) flowers.


Close-up of cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) fluffy seeds.


Another common cudweed (Gnaphalicum spicatum) is green on top with whiteish-grey undersides.


Cudweed (Gnaphalicum spicatum) going to flower.


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.



Many yards and disturbed areas end up filled with cud weeds come the cool months in Texas. The tops of cudweed leaves can be either green or grey depending on the species but the undersides are always white-grey. They start out as a rosette but then one or more stems grows either upwards or outwards from the taproot. Cudweeds have alternating leaves with a pinnate vein structure. Stems are fuzzy and so are the leaves. When mature, the tips of the stems turn even fuzzier, reminding me of Q-Tips due to the furry nature of their tiny flowers.

Cudweeds are NOT eaten. The only recorded ways they were used was as a tea or smoked. One of its common names is "Rabbit Tobacco". Both the tea and smoke were used to treat problems breathing, especially from colds and other lung issues. The tea also helps some with coughs. While it was mainly smoked for its medicinal effects, the flavor is mild and pleasant enough that it was also smoked for pleasure. The usual Native American technique for smoking was to hold the smoke in their mouths rather than drawing it into their lungs. Be aware that pulling out a baggie of dried leaves and lighting up in public may draw unwanted attention so be smart if you're going to smoke this.


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.