Rose of Sharon

Scientific Name(s): Hibiscus syriacus
Abundance: common
What: flower buds, flowers, tender seed pods, seeds
How: flowers - raw; flower buds & young seed pods - raw or cooked like okra; seeds - roasted for coffee substitute
Where: landscaping - full sun, well drained soil, neutral pH
When: summer
Nutritional Value: antioxidants, mucilage
Dangers: none

Medicinal Summary: mucilage in flowers binds to glucose in the GI tract, slowing/stopping its passage into the blood

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged alternately along the stems, with each leaf emerging singly at a node.​

Leaf Shape: Leaves are broadly ovate to rhombic-ovate, typically 1 1/2" to 3 3/4" long and 1" to 3 1/2" wide, often displaying three distinct lobes.​

Leaf Venation: Venation is palmate, with three primary veins radiating from the base of the leaf blade.​

Leaf Margin: Margins are coarsely crenate to serrate, featuring rounded to sharp teeth along the edges.​

Leaf Color: Leaves are medium to dark green on the upper surface and lighter green beneath, with a slightly glossy appearance.​

Flower Structure: Flowers are solitary and axillary, measuring 2 1/2" to 4" in diameter, with five broad, overlapping petals forming a funnel shape.​ 

Flower Color: Petals range from white to pink, lavender, blue, or purple, often with a contrasting dark red or maroon throat. 

Fruit: The fruit is an ovoid capsule, approximately 3/4" to 1" long, composed of five valves that split open at maturity to release seeds. 

Seed: Seeds are kidney-shaped, about 3/16" to 1/4" long, with a smooth surface and a fringe of reddish-orange hairs along the margin. 

Bark: Bark is light gray to gray-brown, smooth on young stems, becoming slightly rougher and fissured with age.​

Hairs: Young stems and leaf petioles are sparsely to moderately covered with minute stellate hairs, which diminish as the plant matures.​

Height: This deciduous shrub typically grows to a height of 8' to 13' and a spread of 6' to 10', forming an upright, vase-shaped habit.

Rose of Sharon flower color is somewhat temperature dependent, range from blue when cooler and white when hotter.

Unopened flower buds are a tasty treat,


Rose of Sharon leaves are toothed and also often have three lobes.






Rows of brown, 2mm-diameter seeds are found in the dried seed pods.



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.

Rose of Sharon are a non-native member of the mallow (hibiscus) family originally from East Asia, but its striking blossoms have made it a landscaping favorite across the Southeastern United States. This large shrub can reach up to 14' in height, but winter frosted often kill branch tips, preventing them growing that tall.

The showy flowers are loaded with an assortment of antioxidants including carotenoids anthocyanins, and flavonols. These compounds give the flower petals their color and their concentrations are dependent on soil pH and nutrients, but the red anthocyanins are sensitive to temperature, breaking down during the hotter times of day, allowing the yellowish/orange carotenoids or blue/purple flavonols to show. This causes flowers to change color throughout the day or across the short, 2-3 day, individual blooming time. While the life of a single flower passes quickly, the bush constantly produces new flowers for several months.

Technically, the leaves of Rose of Sharon are edible, but I find them somewhat tough. But the flowers, from young buds, through opening, to tender seed pods, are wonderful. All of these stages are fine raw, but the closed flower buds and young seed pods can also be pickled or fried just like okra pods. If left to reach full maturity, the seeds collected from the dried pod can be roasted, then ground up and used to stretch out one's supply of coffee. They don't contain any caffeine, but they do have something like a coffee flavor...especially if you haven't had coffee in a while. 


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.

Chaste Tree

Scientific Name(s): Vitex agnus-castus L.
Abundance: common
What: seeds
How: ground for seasoning
Where: landscaping
When: fall, winter
Nutritional Value: none
Dangers: supposedly lowers libido in men while also makes women more likely to get pregnant

Medicinal Summary:
Dried Seeds* - maintains proper progesterone/prolactin levels; reduces excess prolactin; soothes PMS breast tenderness; reduces heavy menstrual bleeding; reduces cycles longer than 28-days; increase milk production; may prevent uterine fibroids; mild sedative; reduces PMS and menopause mood swings; which helps with PMS mood swings; reduces menopause hot flashes (tincture, tisane)
*can reduce male libido over time

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are opposite, arranged in pairs along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Palmately compound leaves with typically 5 to 7 leaflets, each leaflet measuring around 2 to 4 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Foliage is typically gray-green.

Flower Structure: Chaste tree produces spikes of small, fragrant flowers. The spikes can reach lengths of 6 to 12 inches.

Flower Color: Flowers come in various shades, including lavender, blue, pink, or white.

Fruit (Seed): The fruit is a small, round drupe, approximately 0.2 to 0.3 inches in diameter.

Bark: The bark is typically smooth and gray-brown.

Height: Chaste trees can grow to be 10 to 20 feet tall.

Hairs: Leaves and stems are generally smooth, but fine hairs may be present on the undersides of leaves.

Branching Pattern: Chaste trees have an open, spreading habit.

Chaste Tree


Chaste Tree leaves (not edible).


Chaste Tree flowers (not edible).


Chaste Tree flowers close-up.


Chaste Tree seeds (edible).




Chaste Tree bark.


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.

This map is very incomplete.

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


With summer comes the multitude of blue, flowering spikes of the Chaste Tree. Used in landscaping all across the south, this multi-trunked small tree/large bush is cherished for it's beauty, scent, and attraction for bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Rarely if ever is tree found in the wild and if so it will be in full sun to partial shade with well drained soil. Besides almost every branch ending in a large spike of small flowers, the leaves of the Chaste Tree are sometimes mistaken for those of the marijuana plant.

In fall the flowers have become small gray/brown seeds which, when crushed release a pungent but pleasant aroma and flavor. For this reason the seeds have been used as a seasoning for ages. However, there is a belief that the seeds, when consumed, reduce a man's desire hence the name "chaste". Monks supposedly used Chaste Tree seeds to season their food and also reduce their passions. Chaste Tree seeds, in small doses, can slightly increase the amount of female hormone prolactin in men, which may give rise to the...uh, failure to rise. However, larger doses can actually reduce prolactin in men, perhaps making them more manly.

There is quite a bit of evidence and scientific studies which show these seeds have a great deal of beneficial effects for women. There is proof these seeds help with PMS, and many other menstrual issues, helping fertilized eggs bond to the womb, and many other hormone-based issues. Please note, this is not medical advice, just a review of what others claim.


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.

Chicory

Scientific name: Cichorium intybus
Abundance: uncommon
What: Leaves, roots, flowers
How: leaves raw or cooked; root roasted then ground into a coffee substitute; flowers can be eaten raw or pickled
Where: Sunny areas, ditches, abandoned yards
When: early spring otherwise leaves are too bitter
Nutritional Value: Leaves contain vitamins A, C, K

Medicinal Summary:
Root - diuretic; antibacterial; laxative; sedative; appetite stimulant (tisane, tincture)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette at the ground level, with alternate arrangement along the flowering stems.

Leaf Shape: Basal leaves are spatulate to oblong, with sharp lobes, while stem leaves are lanceolate and no or very shallow lobes.

Venation: This plant features pinnate venation, with a central vein and smaller branching veins.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaves vary, with basal leaves having irregular, lobed, and dentate (toothed) margins, and stem leaves more often having entire margins.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bluish-green color.

Flower Structure: Chicory flowers are daisy-like, composed of many small florets, all of which are ray florets. Each petal widens outwards and ends in several short spikes, shaped similar to Bart Simpson's hair.

Flower Color: The flowers are predominantly blue.

Fruit: The fruit is an achene, which is a small, dry fruit that does not open to release the seed.

Seeds: Seeds are small, brown, oblong, and slightly ridged. Each has a "flying parachute" like dandelion seeds.

Stem: Stems are tough, branching, and rough-textured, often with milky sap.

Roots: Forms a thick taproot that can grow to several inches in diameter and over a foot long.

Hairs: Chicory leaves are smooth on top but have fine hairs underneath.

Height: It typically reaches heights of 30 to 45 inches.

Chicory plant before growing flower stalks.


Chicory flowers along a stem. The long, narrow leaves around the flowers are wild onions hiding the chicory leaves.


Close-up of chicory flower.


Chicory leaves are smooth on top but hairy underneath.


Chicory root.

Texas distribution, attributed to the wildly inaccurate U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties with similar ecosystems or if used in landscaping.

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


Look for chicory in old, abandoned fields and farmhouse yards. It also shows up quite plentifully in road ditches but that's not a good place to harvest plants. In Texas chicory is a cool-weather (fall/winter/spring) plant but across the rest of North America it can be found most of the summer.

The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads, though they do have a strong, somewhat bitter taste. This bitterness increases once the plant flowers. See "Preparation Tips for Bitter Greens" for ways to cut the bitterness of these greens.

Unlike dandelions, chicory will produce multiple blossoms along a stiff, somewhat woody stem. These flowers are eaten raw or pickled. One could probably make tea from them but it won't have the flavor or medicinal properties of dandelion flower tea.

Chicory roots can be used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute. Roast the roots to a dark brown color in an oven at 400F. The darker the color the more roasted flavor they will have. After roasting coarsely grind the roasted roots before using to brew coffee.



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.

Dayflower

Scientific name: Commelina communis
Abundance: plentiful
What: flowers, leaves, stem
How: flowers raw or cooked, leaves salad, stem steamed or cooked
Where: shade, partial sun, woods, fields, landscaping
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 spiderwort plant is subjected to chemical pollution.

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate, with leaves emerging one at a time along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Oval to lanceolate, typically ranging from 2 to 5 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: Parallel, with veins running lengthwise from base to tip.

Leaf Margin: Entire, with smooth edges.

Leaf Color: Bright green, often with a shiny or glossy surface.

Flower Structure: Solitary or clustered in leaf axils or at the stem's end, each flower with two petals. Blossoms are about 1" across.

Flower Color: Usually bright blue, occasionally white or purple.

Fruit: A capsule, typically small and round.

Seeds: Small, black or dark brown, enclosed within the capsule.

Stem: Erect or creeping, depending on the species, and can be either slender or somewhat fleshy.

Hairs: Generally smooth, but some species may have fine hairs along the stem or leaves.

Height: Varies by species, typically between 6 inches to 2 feet tall.

Dayflower plants in the morning.


Dayflower plants in the afternoon after the day's flowers have gone away.


Close-up of dayflowers.


Close-up showing a leaf, too.


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.


In just about everyone's flowerbed creeps Dayflower. The thin, weak stems fall over until there's so many present that they force each other upright. In the morning these stems will end in blue, two-petal flowers coming out of a green, beak-like structure. The flowers don't last though, shriveling up a little after the solar noon. The tough leaves have a a parallel vein structure and join to the stem with a sheath which runs down the stem approximately 1/4 inch. This plentiful weed appears in the spring and grows through the summer and fall, dying back only when a hard frost hits it. Be warned, if you just pull it up from your garden or flowerbed and toss it aside it'll take root and begin growing wherever it lands and touches soil.

Dayflowers are slightly more tender than Spiderworts, but are still tough. Because of this, even though the entire plant is edible I rarely use any more than just the top cluster of flowers and flower buds. These bits can be added to salads for a splash of color or tossed into cooked dishes, too. On rare occasions I'll include the uppermost 1-3 leaves if I'm making a curry or stew that'll be simmered a long time. While the stems do contain a slime, the quantity is too low to be a worthwhile thickening agent or first aid gel.


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.

Pimpernel

Scientific Name(s): Anagallis arvensis
Abundance: common
What: flowers, leaves, stem
How: dried and powdered, tea
Where: sunny fields, yards,
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: medicinal
Dangers: contains small amount of saponins which can cause stomach upset. Some people develop skin rashes from contact. It also contains some estrogen mimics.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stem/Flowers - antimicrobial; anti-inflammatory; anti-fungal; appetite stimulant (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in an opposite-alternating pattern along the stem, sometimes appearing whorled at the stem tips. Leaves are connected directly to stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are ovate to elliptical, typically measuring about 0.5 to 1 inch in length and 0.2 to 0.5 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein and faint, smaller veins extending towards the leaf margins.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are entire, meaning they are smooth and not serrated.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bright green, often with a slightly glossy appearance.

Flower Structure: The flowers are solitary, arising from the leaf axils on slender stalks. Each flower has five petals.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually scarlet-orange but a common mutation causes blue flowers. They often have a purplish center.

Fruit: The plant produces a small, round capsule as its fruit.

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

Stem: The stem is slender, square in cross-section, and may have a trailing or ascending growth habit.

Hairs: The plant is generally smooth, with no hair on the stem and leaves.

Height: Anagallis arvensis typically grows to a height of 4 to 12 inches.

Pimpernel before producing flowers.


Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) plants. Note the square stems. Flowers are only 1/4 inch across.


Close-up of scarlet pimpernel flower.




Scarlet pimpernel, blue variety (Anagallis arvensis Forma azurea).


Close-up of pimpernel leaf.


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 scarlet pimpernel has a tradition of medicinal use going back to the ancient Greeks. They considered it to be a "cure-all", capable of treating any sort of injury, illness, or infection of bone, muscle, eye or other organ. The plant was dried and powdered, this powder then consumed in a drink. The raw plant has a rather unpleasant taste, probably due to the small amount of bitter saponin compounds it contains. It was also used as a wash for bad skin. Perhaps more importantly the pimpernel was thought to raise spirits and dispel melancholy, for which tea made from the fresh plant was recommended.

The pimpernel flowers close up when rain approaches, allowing them to be used as a crude method of predicting bad weather. The flowers also close up in the evening and won't reopen until stuck by sunlight.

The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, but generally they are too bitter. Also note that they can be fatal to small animals such as rabbits and rodents so don't feed them to pets. Also, don't mistake it for chickweed (Stellaria media)

Pimpernel contains an estrogen mimic and so if that sort of thing concerns you then avoid this plant. The estrogen mimic can cause problems during pregnancy as well with certain hormone-sensitive issues. These include cancers of the breast, uterus, and ovaries along with endometriosis.



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.