Desert Hackberry

Scientific Name: Celtis pallida
Abundance: common
What: fruit
How: raw, cooked
Where: dry, desert areas
When: late summer, fall
Nutritional Value: calories
Dangers: spines are sharp!

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternate along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Simple, ovate leaves with serrated margins, typically measuring 1 to 2 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Foliage is typically pale green to gray-green.

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

Flower Size: Individual flowers are very small, around 1/8 inch in size.

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

Bark: Bark is mottled grayish-brown, with thorns. Some thorns may have smaller thorns.

Height: Desert hackberry can grow to be a medium-sized tree, reaching heights of 20 to 30 feet.

Hairs: Leaves may have microscopic hairs, giving a slightly rough texture.

Branching Pattern: The branching pattern is irregular, and the tree may have a somewhat open form.

Desert Hackberry fruit when ripe.


Close-up of ripe fruit.


Thicket of Desert Hackberry trees. They grow with interlaced trunks and branches.


Close-up of leaves.


Note how the young branch "zig-zags" betweens leaf nodes and spines.


Close-up of spines on young twig.


Close-up of spine on mature branch.


Desert Hackberry trunk.


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.


As much as I love Desert Hackberries, birds love them even more. The spiny thickets that these small tree form are are a safe, food-filled haven for all manner of small birds. Look for these thickets in arid, hot areas of south and west Texas, though in these environments they will likely cluster near water sources including dry gullies. The trees rarely get much over 15 feet tall. The small, oval leaves stay on the tree most of the year but can fall in extremely dry conditions.

The ripe fruit is quite sweet, orange in color, and its single seed is much softer than the hard stone found in Sugar Hackberry fruit. I eat the whole thing raw, seed and nut combined. It can be eaten raw, mashed then baked into a calorie-laden snack bar, or boiled in some water to make a syrup. A truly industrious person could gather enough of the ripe fruit to make a bottle of wine or two if they were willing to fight through the plant's thorns...and deal with the resulting angry birds.


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.

Devil's Claw

Scientific Name(s): Proboscidea altheaefolia and Proboscidea parviflora
Abundance: uncommon
What: young seed pods, seeds
How: seed pods cooked; seeds raw or cooked
Where: fields, disturbed soil, full sun
When: summer
Nutritional Value: unknown

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are alternately arranged along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are heart-shape, with a lengths and widths of about 3 to 5 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is palmate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is usually entire but may be wavy.

Leaf Color: The leaves are typically green, with no significant color variation between the top and underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are trumpet-shaped, with a unique long, slender projection resembling a unicorn's horn. The diameter of the flower is around 1 to 2 inches.

Flower Color: The flowers can range in color, including shades of white, pink, or purple.

Fruit: The fruit is a capsule, often curved, up to 9" long, and contains numerous seeds. After maturity, it dries and splits open longitudinally, with the tips of each side curving into a sharpe, clingy point. 

Seed: Seeds are small, flat, and have a papery wing for wind dispersal.

Stem: The stems are usually green, sometimes with a reddish tint, and much branching.

Hairs: The plant may have fine hairs on the stems, leaves, flowers, and seed pods.

Height: Devil's claw can reach a height of 1 to 3 feet.

Devil's Claw plant (Proboscidea altheaefolia).

Photo compliments of Burr Williams.


Photo compliments of Terri Cox.

Close-up of Proboscidea altheaefolia flower.

Photo compliments of Burr Williams.

Close-up of seedpods. Note the fine hairs on the pod.

Photo compliments of Burr Williams.


Photo compliments of Terri Cox.

Mature seedpod starting to split open.

Photo compliments of Terri Cox.

Fully dried and split seedpod.

Photo compliments of Terri Cox.

Devil's Claw (Proboscidea parviflora) plant.

Compliments of Brandy McDaniel.

Close-up of pink, annual Devil's Claw (Proboscidea parviflora) flower.

Compliments of Brandy McDaniel.

Close-up of pink, annual Devil's Claw (Proboscidea parviflora) seedpods.

Compliments of Brandy McDaniel.

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.



Across the sandy, arid areas of west and south Texas grows Devil's Claw...though sometimes its hooked seedpods deliver it all the way to east Texas fields, too! This large weed, practically a bush, appears after a good rain and then grows throughout the hot summer. Proboscidea parviflora is an annual which grows to maturity and then dies over the course of the summer. This annual species has pinkish flowers. The perennial is Proboscidea altheaefolia and it's flowers are yellowish-white. It may die back in the winter but then returns from its deep, thick taproot. The leaves of both species are heart-shaped, have sticky surfaces, and smell bad. Mature seedpods can reach fifteen inches in lengths. Seeds are black in color but a white-seeded variety was also grown by Native Americans. The pods split into two or sometimes three sections when mature.

The young, tender pods are cooked (boiled, steamed, or fried) before eating...but frying them like okra is the best. Boiled or steamed Devil's Claw pods are kind of an...acquired taste. If they are starting to get tough just leave them on the plant until the pod matures. This is indicated by the pod turning hard, brown/black in color, and beginning to split. At this point collect the seeds. They can be eaten raw but roasting them first improves the flavor. Once roasted they can be boiled as a porridge or ground into a gluten-free flour.

The fibers of the mature seedpods were prized for weaving baskets.

 

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.

Elaeagnus

Scientific Name(s): Elaeagnaceae spp.
Abundance: common
What: berries, seeds
How: raw, jam, jelly
Where: landscaping shrub
When: early spring
Nutritional Value: Vitamins A, Bs, C, E, lycopene, flavanoids, fatty acids, and protein

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged alternately along the stems. 

Leaf Shape: The leaves are elliptical to ovate, with a length of 2 to 3 inches and a width of 1 to 1.5 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is entire, presenting a smooth edge.

Leaf Color: The upper surface of the leaves is typically dark green with white/silver dots, while the underside is silver-gray with bronze dots. 

Flower Structure: The flowers are small, tubular, and inconspicuous, clustered in the leaf axils.

Flower Color: The flowers are often silvery-white to yellowish.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, oval drupe, about 0.5 inches in length and a red-gold, spotted coloration.

Seed: Each drupe contains a single, football-shaped seed.

Stem: The stems are brown, woody, and may have silvery spots/scales.

Hairs: The plant is covered with silvery scales, giving it a distinctive silvery appearance and usually lacks noticeable hairs. Leaves may have a slight texture to their surfacees.

Height: Silverleaf Elaeagnus is a shrub that can reach a height of 10 to 15 feet, but the height can vary based on environmental conditions.

Small elaeagnus shrub.


One wonderfully-scented elaeagnus flower appears at the base of each leaf around Thanksgiving in the Houston area.


Elaeagnus berries are ripe in mid-to-late February.




Close-up of elaeagnus's mottled-red berries


Top of elaeagnus leaf.


Bottom of elaeagnus leaf.


Standing in the front yard of many Texas house, elaeagnus bushes are a staple of suburban home landscaping. Their thick, evergreen foliage and tolerance of many growing conditions coupled with their low cost makes them attractive. In the fall their small but plentiful white/yellow flowers entice bees. In late winter/early spring the small, football-shaped berries are ready to eat. The top of elaeagnus leaves are green with gray spots while the bottom of the leaf is gray with copper-colored spots. Ripe berries are silvery with many tiny red dots. These berries are hidden towards the center of the bush rather than exposed and visible so you may not notice them unless you lift the branches to look.

The berries have a wonderful sweet/tart taste with a hint of astringency. Most people considering elaeagnus multiflora to have the best flavor. They are nutritional powerhouses loaded with a number of good compounds including a high concentration of lycopene. The seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids but they can be bitter in flavor and so unpalatable.

The flesh of the berries make a good jam, jelly, and fruit leather. There's no reason they couldn't be made into wine.


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.

Ephedra

Scientific Name(s): Ephedra nevadensis,  E. torreyanna, E. trifurca, E. pedunculata, E. coryi, E. aspera, E. antisyphilitica
Abundance: common
What: leaves, stems, flowers
How: tea (tisane)
Where: arid land, deserts
When: spring
Nutritional Value: stimulants ephedrine and pseudoephedrine
Dangers: too much can lead to heart issues

Medicinal Summary: stimulant

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are scale-like and arranged in whorls along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The scale-like leaves are typically about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long and have a narrow, lanceolate shape.

Leaf Venation: The leaves lack prominent venation due to their scale-like structure.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the scale-like leaves are entire, presenting a smooth edge.

Leaf Color: The color of the leaves varies by species but is often green or greenish-gray. The undersides are usually similar in color to the upper surface.

Flower Structure: Ephedra plants are typically dioecious, meaning male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. The flowers are inconspicuous and lack petals.

Flower Color: The flowers are often yellowish or greenish and are borne in cone-like structures.

Fruit: The fruit is a cone-like structure containing seeds.

Seed: Seeds are small and found within the cone-like structures. They can vary in size and color depending on the species.

Stem: The stems are woody and jointed, with a green to brown color.

Hairs: The stems and leaves may lack noticeable hairs.

Height: Ephedra plants vary in height depending on the species and environmental conditions but are generally low-growing shrubs, ranging from a few inches to several feet in height.

Ephadra growing up through a cracked rock near Marfa, TX.


Another Marfa, TX ephedra thriving unprotected in full sun.




In March/April in West Texas the ephedra produces tan/gold flower cones at the stem joints.


Closeup of ephedra flower cones.


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.

If you've been anywhere in West Texas you've seen the bundle of sticks that is the ephedra plant growing up out of the sand and gravel. It seems to prefer full sun over shade, with physical adaptions to withstand the harsh climate. It lacks traditional leaves but relies on photosynthesis occurring in its green, jointed stems. This is a perennial bush whose older, lowers sections will be gray and woody. In the spring there will be clusters of small, gold-brown flowers that turn into small "pine cone" like seedheads over the spring/early summer.

The younger, aerial parts of the plant have a long history of being used as a stimulant. Since it doesn't contain caffeine it was considered okay for use by the Church of Later Day Saints, giving it the name "Mormon tea". Note, the preferred species for Mormon tea is Ephedra nevadensis because it lacks the ephedrine found in other members of this genus.

Ephedrine is is a bronchodilator which helps with asthma and other breathing issues. It dries runny sinuses associated with colds and allergies. It also has stimulant properties. The most common form of taking this plant is as a tea aka tisane made from one teaspoon of the dried, crushed plant in one cup hot water, maximum two cups per day.

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.

Elderberry

Scientific name: Sambucus canadensis
Abundance: common
What: flowers, berries
How: the flowers can be eaten raw or fried as fritters, the berries are best when cooked into muffins/pancakes/waffles, made into jam or wine
Where: edges, wet areas
When: summer
Nutritional Value: Vitamin A & C, calcium, iron, sterols, and flavonoids.
Dangers: all other parts of plant (bark, leaves, wood) are poisonous. Berry clusters must be flat, kind of like cauliflower, not rounded like a globe. Compounds in elderberry flowers and berries can disrupt chemotherapy drugs.

Medicinal Summary:
Flowers, Berries - immune system stimulant (syrup, tincture, tisane)

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

Leaf Shape: Compound leaves with 5 to 11 leaflets. Each leaflet measures around 2 to 4 inches in length.

Leaf Margin: Leaflet margins are serrated with fine teeth.

Leaf Color: Foliage is typically dark green.

Flower Structure: Large, flat-topped clusters of tiny, fragrant, white flowers known as umbels.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically creamy white and bloom in late spring to early summer. The flowers have five petals, with a diameter of the individual flower being 1/4". 

Fruit (Berry-Like): The fruit is a small, dark purple to black berry, around 1/4 to 1/3 inches in diameter growing in umbel-like clusters.

Bark: Young stems are smooth and green, while older stems are gray with small, dark spots. Beneath the bark is a soft, white pith.

Height: American elderberry can grow to be 5 to 12 feet tall.

Hairs: Stems and leaves are generally smooth.

Growth Form: American elderberry has a multi-stemmed, shrub-like growth form.

Stands of elderberry can be 12'-14' tall.




Elderberries along a stream bank.


The flowers start out as small, light-green balls then open up into white/cream flowers with five petals.


The flower clusters are shaped kind of like cauliflower in an "umbel" (aka umbrella shape).


Flowers (edible).


Close-up of flowers after harvesting.




Dark purple-black fruit (edible dry or cooked, not raw).




Close-up of compound (multi-leaflets) leaves (topside).


Close-up of compound leaves (underside).


By the end of summer the leaves can become very complex.


Stem/trunk of Elderberry. The spots where from leaves growing from the stem in previous years.


Getting ready to make a batch of Grandpa's "Cure's what ails ya!" (Godzilla movie not required). Directions below.


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.


Stands of elderberry are most common along streams and other moist areas. Standing approximately 10 feet tall with compound leaves and green-to-gray, bumpy bark and white pithy interiors, elderberries are distinctive shrubs or small trees. The cauliflower-shaped clusters of white flowers appear in early spring, flowered by clusters of green and then dark purple berries. The plant will continue to produce flower clusters through the summer and berries into early fall. One has to be quick to gather the berries as birds love them!

The elderberry flowers are a good raw snack, eaten right off the tree. Other popular uses include adding the flowers to muffins, pancakes, frosting and batter-frying them into fritters. They can also be used to flavor assorted non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks.

The berries do NOT taste great raw due to the presence of a rather off-putting volatile oil. However, drying or cooking the berries drives off this chemical resulting in a really good flavor. Add the berries raw or dried berries to pancakes, muffins or other batter-style cooked goods. Elderberry jam and jelly is an old-time favorite. Of course, the most popular way to use elderberries is to make wine!

My grandfather used to make great elderberry wine. He also made a general illness preventative/cure medicine called "Cure's what ails ya!" from the flowers by filling a 1 quart canning 1/3 to 1/2 full with fresh elderberry flowers (no stems!) then adding 1 tablespoon of sugar, two shots of Triple Sec orange liquor and filling to jar almost to the top with vodka. The jar was sealed tightly then shook twice a day for 6-8 week. At that point the solids were strained out and the fluid transferred into a tightly capped bottle. I am NOT giving medical advice but two shoots of this was our family treatment when we felt an illness coming on. Western science suggests elderberry flowers and berries contain the immune-system stimulating molecule "Sambucol" which can also be bought over the counter in pharmacies for use in fighting viral infections. Please note that if you are on immune system suppresants, such as after an organ transplant or if you suffer from an auto-immune disease, you should avoid consuming elderberry products.

There are two plants people often mistake for elderberry, Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense) and Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum). Chinese Privet is slightly toxic and has simple rather than compound leaves though they are all lined up so as to look a little like the compound leaves of elderberry, but smaller and not pointed at the end. Chinese Privet fruit appears in the fall/winter in grape-like clusters of dark, purple, somewhat football-shaped berries instead of the umbels of elderberry berry clusters.

These are Pokeweed berries which are deadly. Note that they grow in a column rather than an umbrella-shape.


Chinese Privet berries and leaves. This plant is commonly mistaken for Elderberry but it is POISONOUS.




Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) produce umbel-shaped clusters of small, white flowers that look just like elderberry flowers but as with the Chinese Privet, Arrowwood leaves reveal its true identity. Arrows leaves are simple, oppositely-opposed along its branches and have toothed edges. After the flowers pass umbel-shaped clusters of grayish-purple, football-shaped berries ending in little dried flower bits appear. These fruit are edible but tasteless.

Arrowwood flowers (edibility unknown...so don't eat them).


Arrowwood leaves (not edible).


Arrowwood berries (edible but tasteless).



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.