Abundance: uncommon
What: roots, leaves
How: tea
Where: moist areas, edge of water.
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: none
Medicinal Summary:
Roots - sedative; pain relief; wound healing (tisane)
Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged alternately along the stems.
Leaf Shape: The leaves are heart-shaped (cordate) with a length of approximately 4 to 8 inches and a width of 3 to 6 inches.
Leaf Venation: The venation is prominently palmate, radiating from the base of the leaf like the fingers of a hand.
Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is smooth (entire) with no serrations.
Leaf Color: The upper side of the leaves is typically medium to dark green, while the underside may have a paler hue.
Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in a spike-like cluster, known as a raceme, located at the tip of a drooping (cernuus) stem. Each flower is small, with a diameter of about 0.2 to 0.3 inches, and has no distinct petals but rather white to greenish sepals.
Flower Color: The flowers are usually white or cream-colored.
Fruit: The fruit is a small, elongated capsule.
Seed: Seeds are tiny, ovoid, and brown.
Stem: The stems are erect, slender, and may have a reddish tint. They bear the raceme of flowers at the top.
Hairs: The plant is generally hair-free but the flower spikes may feel slightly fuzzy while still immature and green.
Height: Saururus cernuus typically grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet, with the flowering spike extending above the foliage.
Bed of Lizard's Tail plants.
Close-up of leaf.
Lizard's Tail flower stalk before flowers develop.
Lizard's Tail flowerhead and leaves.
The rhizome roots of Lizard's Tail.
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.
Look for Lizard's Tail lining the banks of shaded Texas ponds beginning in the late winter and lasting until mid-fall. The "tails" show up in late April, blossoms in May, and are gone by July. The root can be gathered any time of year.
It has no edible/nutritional value but its roots have a long history of being used medicinally as a tea, which has both sedative and some pain-relieving properties. A wash made from boiled roots was used as a surface wash for rheumatism. Also, a paste of boiled then mashed roots was applied the sore, chapped breasts of nursing mothers and to heal flesh wounds.
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.
