Filaree

Scientific Name(s): Erodium texanum, Erodium cicutarium
Abundance: common
What: leaves, flowers, young fruit, root, seeds
How: raw, cooked
Where: disturbed areas, moist, sunny, fields, yards
When: spring
Nutritional Value: vitamins
Dangers: don't mistake Carolina Geranium for Filaree.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Flowers - antibacterial; antifungal; antiviral (interferon induction); antioxidant; anti-inflammatory; analgesic (tisane)

Texas Filaree (Erodium texanum) structural features:

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette pattern at the base of the plant.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are pinnately compound, with each leaf divided into several deeply lobed leaflets. The overall leaf length is typically around 2 to 6 inches.

Leaf Venation: Venation is pinnate, with a central vein from which smaller veins branch out within each leaflet.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are irregularly lobed and toothed.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a light to medium green, sometimes with hints of red or purple, especially in the leaf veins.

Flower Structure: Flowers are borne on long, slender stalks rising from the basal rosette. Each stalk typically bears one to several flowers.

Flower Color: The flowers are pink to lavender, with five petals. Each petal is about 0.5 to 1 inch in length.

Fruit: The fruit is a long, slender, beak-like capsule, often referred to as a "stork's bill."

Seed: The seeds are contained within the elongated capsule, small and hard.

Stem: The flowering stems are erect and slender, emerging from the basal rosette.

Hairs: The plant may have fine hairs, particularly on the stems and the undersides of the leaves.

Height: The plant typically grows to a height of about 6 to 18 inches.

Texas Filaree (Erodium texanum) seeding.


Slightly larger Texas Filaree. Those purple/red leaves are quite distinctive.


Still larger Texas Filaree (Erodium texanum).

Change in leaves as they mature.

Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) structural features

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged in a basal rosette pattern at the base of the plant.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are pinnately compound, with each leaf divided into several deeply lobed leaflets. The overall leaf length varies, typically around 1.5 to 3 inches long.

Leaf Venation: Venation is pinnate, with a central vein running through each leaflet and smaller veins branching off.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are finely dissected or lacy.

Leaf Color: Leaves exhibit a medium to dark green color, sometimes with reddish hues under stress conditions.

Flower Structure: Flowers are borne on slender, erect stalks that extend above the basal rosette. Each stalk supports a small cluster of flowers.

Flower Color: The flowers are small, with five petals each, usually pink or lilac in color, sometimes with darker veins. Each petal is typically about 0.2 to 0.4 inches long.

Fruit: The fruit is a long, slender capsule, resembling a stork's bill, which is characteristic of the Erodium genus.

Seed: Seeds are small, enclosed within the elongated capsule, and have a unique shape that aids in their dispersal.

Stem: The flowering stems are thin and hairy, originating from the basal rosette.

Hairs: The plant has fine hairs covering the stems and the leaves, giving them a slightly fuzzy appearance.

Height: Erodium cicutarium typically reaches a height of about 10 to 20 inches when in flower.

Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) plants. Note the red growths on some of the leaves.




Close-up of Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) leaves.




Close-up of Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) flowers.


Close-up of Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) fruit that gives it its other name, 'Storkbill".




Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) seedling.


Texas distribution of Erodium texanum, 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 of Erodium texanum, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.


Texas distribution of Erodium cicutarium, 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 of Erodium cicutarium, attributed to U.S. Department of Agriculture.


Plants define the ecological zones of Texas. Seeing the reddish, prostrate, rosettes of Filarree tell me the acidic soils of East Texas are shifting to the more alkaline, chalky soil of the Hill Country and farther west. Filler seems to thrive in damaged, barren soils such as walking/riding trails to the cracks in driveways and parking lots. This is one tough plant!

In most high-traffic places you'll find this plant it creeps low to the ground but in wilder, unmowed/untrampled areas it sends it's frilly, lobed leaves upwards along with its 5-petaled, purple flowers. The flowers grow in clusters at the ends of thin, hairy stalks. These flowers eventually turn into long 'beaked" seedpods that give these plants the alternative name of "Storkbill".

Pretty much all parts of this plant are edible, though it can be somewhat bitter raw. Cook the leaves like you would spinach or just steam them. The flowers are okay raw and while I suppose one could treat the seedpods like okra I have yet to confirm that. The seeds are actually quite nutritious with a good dose of vitamin K, according to Green Deane.



WARNING: Carolina Geranium (Geranium carolinianum) flowers and seedpods look slightly similar but it's not edible. The leaves of Carolina geranium are "hand" shaped whereas Filaree leaves are more "Christmas Tree" shaped.

Carolina Geranium flowers and leaves - too bitter to eat.


Carolina Geranium seedpods.


Carolina Geranium roots are strongly astringent and after being dried and powdered were placed in wounds to stop bleeding. The powdered Carolina Geranium roots were also gargled to sooth sore throats.


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Hackberry

Scientific name: Celtis spp. (occidentalis, laevigata)
Abundance: plentiful
What: berries
How: raw, dried, preserves
Where: moist, sunny areas
When: fall when berries are red, orange, or purple
Nutritional Value: calories, protein

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternate along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Simple, ovate leaves with serrated margins, typically measuring 2 to 4 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Foliage is typically dark green, turning yellow in the fall.

Flower Structure: Inconspicuous, small, greenish flowers are arranged in clusters.

Flower Size: Individual flowers are very small, around 1/8 inch in size and green-yellow in color.

Fruit (Drupe): The fruit is a small, rounded drupe, about 1/4 inch in diameter, typically reddish-brown when ripe.

Bark: Bark is gray to brown, with a rough texture consisting of small, flat platelets stacked one atop another.  These flat warts can grow together to make corky ridges in older trees.

Height: Common hackberry can grow to be a medium to large tree, reaching heights of 40 to 60 feet.

Hairs: Leaves have a sight roughness due to microscopic hairs

Branching Pattern: The branching pattern is irregular, and the tree may have a broad, spreading crown. Wood is weak and branches often break off in high winds.

Ripe hackberry fruit.



Unripe berries


Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata) tree.


Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata) tree trunk.


Another Hackberry tree.


Close-up of hackberry bark "scales/warts".


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.


Most of your ancestors owe their lives to the fruit of the hackberry tree. It is the oldest-know foraged food, going back over 600,000 years to the grave of Peking Man. Found on every continent except Antarctica, every culture that arose around hackberry trees utilized them as one of their main sources of calories...until us now. Now it is considered a "trash tree" and considered to be an annoyance. We have forgotten how it kept so many humans alive for tens of thousands of years.

The ripe fruit of hackberries are less than 1/4 inch in diameter and consist of a thin, sweet skin surrounding a large, hard seed. This edible seed is rich in protein and fats, but is extremely hard. Trying to crush the seed with your teeth can easily result in a broken tooth. You are better off crushing up the berries in a mortar & pestle to make a sweet, energizing paste. This paste can be toasted into a bar, making it nature's original "power bar". The seeds can also be crushed/blended with water, left over night and then strained to make "hackberry milk" which is similar to "almond milk". If you don't have a way to crush the seeds then just eat the skin/flesh off then spit out the seed. These berries ripen in the fall but will often remain on the trees and edible well into spring.

The wood of the hackberry tree is weak and brittle. It does not make good firewood, carving material or lumber. However, it did make acceptable archery bows. After a storm the ground beneath hackberry tree is usually littered with broken branches, making a mess. They can grow up to 80' tall in moist, sunny locations such as along lakes, ponds, or streams. Hackberries also seem to thrive in urban environments though they only live 20-30 years. Their gray bark is usually covered with lumpy, scaly wart-type growths that are made of layered sections.


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Honey Mesquite

Scientific name: Prosopis glandulosa
Abundance: plentiful
What: young leaves, seed pods, seeds
How: seed pods raw, cooked; mature beans pounded into flour, made into tofu or tea. Young leaves in salad or cooked like spinach
Where: arid fields
When: late summer, early fall
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates, protein, calcium
Other uses: excellent firewood
Dangers: up to 20% of mesquite pods are infected with very dangerous aflatoxin-producing fungus. Only pick pods that are still on the tree and have not been attacked by hole-boring beetles.

Leaf Arrangement: Bipinnate compound leaves arranged alternately along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Small, elongated leaflets, measuring approximately 0.25 to 0.75 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Green to bluish-green foliage.

Leaflet Margin: Leaflets have entire margins without serrations.

Flower Structure: Small, yellow-green, inconspicuous flowers arranged in elongated spikes (racemes).

Flower Size: Individual flowers are very small, typically less than 0.2 inches.

Fruit (Pods): Long, flat, narrow, curved seed pods (legumes) measuring around 4 to 8 inches. green when immature, turning reddish-brown as they ripen.

Seed Size: Seeds within the pods are small, about 0.2 to 0.4 inches.

Bark: Bark is often rough, dark brown to gray.

Height: Mature trees can reach heights of 15 to 30 feet.

Honey mesquite tree.


Honey mesquite bark and spines.


Honey mesquite trees have compound leaves consisting of many leaflets.


Just-opened honey mesquite flowers (racemes).


More mature flowers transitioning into seedpods.


Young mesquite seed pods.


Pods almost mature.


Mature honey mesquite seed pod.


A mesquite pod picked from the ground. The hole indicates a beetle may have been infected it with dangerous aflatoxin fungus, rendering it unusable.


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.


Dotting (or perhaps creating!) the arid regions of Texas, mesquite trees are becoming nuisance thickets. Their huge demand for water sucks the land around them dry, preventing the growth of most other plants. The dense, aromatic wood has a long history of being used to add the distinctive taste to grilled foods. This wood burns extremely hot and can destroy chimneys and melt metal fire rings so be careful with it. Historical note, the underground roots of dead mesquite trees were considered to be an excellent source of firewood.

Mesquite seeds/seed pods are rich in protein, minerals, and fructose. This fructose makes them an exceptionally good food source for diabetics as the body does not use insulin to break down the fructose. The hard, shucked beans can be dried for storage and ground into a calorie-rich flour as needed. Be warned thought that these beans are extremely hard and require a very high-quality grain mill to crush them.

The dried beans can be roasted to make a tea/caffeine-free coffee substitute. Roast them for a few minutes at 400F then crush them before boiling to make the tea.

Pods that have fallen to the ground or which have bore-holes in them have up to a 20% chance of being infected by a aflatoxin-producing fungus. However, undamaged pods still on the tree are unlikely to have this problem. Most adults are quite resistant to aflatoxin effects but small children can be at risk. Very large doses of aflatoxin can eventually cause liver cancer.


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Persimmon - Texas

Scientific Name(s): Diospyros texana
Abundance: plentiful
What: fruit
How: raw, jams, jelly, candied, tarts
Where: fields, sunny edges of woods, arid areas
When: late summer, fall
Nutritional Value: fiber, Vit C, B, minerals, anti-oxidants, flavonoids.

Leaf Arrangement: Simple, alternate leaves along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Ovate to elliptical leaves, typically 1 inch in length with rounded tip.

Leaf Color: Dark green foliage, sometimes with a glossy appearance.

Leaf Margin: Entire leaf margins without serrations.

Vein Patterns: Pinnate venation pattern on each leaf.

Flower Structure: Inconspicuous, small flowers, often greenish-white in color.

Flower Size: Individual flowers are typically less than 0.5 inches.

Fruit: Small, blackish-purple fruit resembling berries, around 1 inch in diameter. Somewhat tough skin with a juicy, dark interior. The flesh produces a dark juice which is very staining. The fruit have a 5-pointed "crown" on their top with a stem rising up from the center to attach to the tree.

Seed: Seeds within the fruit are small, typically less than 0.5 inches shaped something like a large watermelon seed.. 1-3 seeds may be present.

Bark: Smooth light and dark gray, with some strips of bark peeling away from the trunk.

Hairs: Underside of leaves may have fine hairs.

Texas persimmon fruit, both ripe (black) and unripe (green).


Close-ups of Texas persimmon fruit.




Texas persimmon seeds.


Texas persimmon seeds in animal scats (probably raccoon).




Texas persimmon shrub/tree.


Close-up of Texas persimmon leaves.


Texas persimmon trunk, next to an oak tree which shades it.


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 Texas Persimmon tree is mainly found in Central and Southern Texas. Once can not walk far in the Texas Hill Country without coming across the gnarled, grey shrub with grey, peeling bark. I personally love the looks of the Texas persimmon. It is generally very short, rarely over eight feet tall. They prefer to grow in partially shaded areas, such as under an oak. Most herbivore and omnivore wild animals love the ripe persimmons and I often am alerted to the trees' presence in a near area by first seeing pig scat loaded with persimmon seeds.

Persimmons aren't sweet enough to eat until they are very dark purple-black in color and already falling off the tree. The seeds are very easy to sprout, resulting in numerous persimmon trees in the same area. Like the Virginian persimmon, Texas persimmons are not self-fertile and require both male and female trees to be present for the female tree to produce fruit.

Virginian Persimmons have both male and female trees and both need to be present for fruit. Only the females produce fruit but male trees must be present to fertilize her flowers.


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.