Carolina Geranium

Scientific Name(s): Geranium carolinianum
Abundance: common
What: roots
How: medicinal
Where: yards, fields
When: winter, spring
Nutritional Value: none (not edible)
Dangers: Carolina geraniums are NOT edible but are only used externally medicinally in wounds and gargles, do not swallow.

Medicinal Summary:
Root - astringent; antibacterial; anti-fungal; soothes sore throat/mouth; anti-diarrheal (poultice, powder, tisane)
Whole plant - pain reliever, fever reducer, anti-inflammatory (tisane, tincture)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Geranium carolinianum are arranged in a basal rosette. This means the leaves primarily grow at the base of the plant, close to the ground.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are deeply lobed, giving them a somewhat cut or dissected appearance. Each leaf typically has 5 to 7 lobes.

Venation: The venation is palmate, meaning the veins radiate outward from a single point like the fingers on a hand.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaves are crenate, meaning they have rounded teeth.

Leaf Color: The leaves are generally green, but they may have a hint of red or purple, especially in cooler temperatures.

Flower Structure: The flowers have five petals and are arranged in loose clusters. Each petal has a small, rounded notch at the tip. Individual flowers are about 1/5" across.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually light purple to pink, sometimes with darker veins.

Fruits: The fruit is a beaked capsule, which when mature, splits open to release seeds. The 'beak' of the capsule resembles a crane's bill, hence the common name 'Cranesbill.'

Seeds: The seeds are small, oblong, and generally have a reticulated surface.

Stems: The stems are erect to ascending, and can be hairy. They are typically green, but like the leaves, may have reddish to purplish tinges.

Plant Height: This plant usually grows to a height of about 10 to 18 inches.

Hairs: The stems and sometimes the leaves are covered in small hairs, which can give the plant a slightly fuzzy appearance.

Carolina geranium seedling in December.


Getting bigger. Note the lobed leaves with rounded teeth, and how the stems are hairy.


Mature Carolina geraniums can spread over 24 inches across.


Close-up of leaves.


Carolina geranium flowers have five petals, each with a rounded notch at the tip.


Close-up of Carolina geranium 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.


Many a yard, flowerbed and garden see this low, creeping weed show up in the Texas "winter". Left unpacked, it'll turn into a leggy, small bush around one foot tall and two feet across. The leaves are deeply lobed with rounded, toothed edges. Stems are hairy. The pink flowers eventually turn into a long, pointed seedpod thingy. The plant grows outwards from a single taproot and that taproot is the medicinal part that you'll want. The bigger the aboveground plant the bigger this root so put off harvesting it as long as possible.

The root of Carolina geranium is very astringent which makes it excellent for stopping bleeding. Astringent compounds cause capillaries to constrict, thereby shutting down minor bleeding. If you're spraying arterial blood or have a deep slash through several medium-to-large veins you're out of luck. Think nosebleed level of bleeding or smaller. These astringent molecules will also give some relief to a sore throat if gargled but don't swallow the decoction made from the root. After a minute of swishing/gargling spit it out.

Too use this root, simply pull it out of the ground and rub/rip away the small, side roots from the main taproot. You can use it fresh if you chop it up really finely then boil 1-2 teaspoons full in 1 cup water for ten minutes. My lawyer says I need to remind people to let this solution cool before using. Native Americans would dry the root, grind it into a fine powder, then sprinkle this powder into wounds to stop bleeding. Personally, I've never tried this powdered root method but hey, it might be good to know when the zombies come.

Two mimics of this plant are the poisonous Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) and edible Carolina Bristle Mallow (Modiola caroliniana).

Poisonous mimic Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens).


You can see the leaves of the creeping buttercup are much less deeply lobed, shinier, and smoother. The stems are smooth and the entire plant hugs the ground more closely than Carolina geraniums. Creeping buttercups contain a chemical that, when consumed, makes mammals hypersensitive to sunlight. Skin hit by sunlight almost immediately starts to blister...basically, creeping buttercups turn you into a redhead!

Edible Carolina Bristle Mallow (Modiola caroliniana).


Carolina bristle mallow has very coarse leaves and stems. It creeps along the ground and puts down roots wherever the stem touches the ground. It is used to make a cooling tea.


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.

Chile Pequin

Scientific Name(s): Capsium annuum
Abundance: uncommon
What: fruit
How: raw, dried, roasted
Where: borders
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: assorted beneficial chemicals
Dangers: HOT!!!

Medicinal Summary:
Fruit - antifungal; increases blood circulation, soothes muscle and nerve pain (tincture, infused vinegar, liniment, salve)

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are lanceolate, with a length of 1 to 2 inches and a width of about 0.5 inch.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is entire.

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

Flower Structure: The flowers are small, tubular, and occur in clusters. The diameter of an individual flower is approximately 1/4 inch.

Flower Color: Chile Pequin flowers can range in color, including shades of white, yellow, orange, or red.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, round or oblong berry, often changing color as it matures, from green to red.

Seed: Seeds are small, round, and numerous within the fruit.

Stem: The stems are typically squarish, green, slender, and may have a branching growth pattern.

Hairs: The plant has fine hairs on stems and leaves.

Height: Chile Pequin plants can vary in height but typically range from 1 to 3 feet, depending on growing conditions.

Chile pequin bushes are medium-sized, averaging about two feet high and three feet across.


Close-up of Chile Pequin bush.


Chile Pequin fruit starts out green and turns red.


Close-up of Chile Pequin fruit. Note the small size of both the fruit and the leaves.






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 tiny chile pequin peppers are some of the hottest known (Scoville rating 100,000 - 400,000) and add a wonderfully fierce fire and delicious, smoky flavor to dishes. They are hottest when they are young and green then lose a small amount of fire when they turn red but are still extremely hot. Use them any way you would a commercial hot pepper including sauces, salsas, or to add a "bite" to assorted pickled veggies or eggs. Dried, ground-up chile pequins are a common sight on the table of many older Texas families.

The peppers appear after the tiny white flower dry and drop off the plant. These bushes can not handle full Texas sun but usually grow best in the partial shade of some larger plant. They do need regular watering otherwise they'll drop their leaves if they get too dry. The bushes may be knocked back by frosts but will return if the roots survived. Mulch the plants in the fall to help protect the roots from the cold. If several mild winters pass in a row chile pequins can actually achieve the size of a small tree!

Growing chile pequins from seeds isn't easy as they evolved to pass through a bird's stomach where the acid weakens the seed's tough coat. You can mimic this acidizing by soaking the seeds in battery acid or pool-cleaning acid for 1-3 minutes followed by rinsing then planting. Generally handling the battery acid is a risky thing so if you try this make sure you are wearing safety googles, protective gloves, and old clothing. Also please dispose of the acid properly.


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.

Coral Bean

Scientific Name(s): Erythrina herbacea
Abundance: uncommon
What: flowers & young leaves
How: cooked flowers and leaves; tea from young leaves
Where: open fields and woodland clearings with sandy soil
When: spring.  
Nutritional Value: antioxidants
Dangers: plant must be cooked to remove toxins, do NOT eat the seeds or older, mature leaves.

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternate along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Compound leaves with three leaflets, each leaflet measuring approximately 3 to 6 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Foliage is typically green.

Flower Structure: Coral bean produces showy, tubular flowers arranged in clusters. Individual flowers are around 1.5 to 2 inches long.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically bright red, coral pink, or occasionally white.

Fruit (Seed): The fruit is a pod, green when young and maturing to reddish-brown, and around 4 to 6 inches long. Mature seeds are bright red.

Bark: The bark is typically smooth and gray.

Height: Coral bean plants can reach heights of 6 to 10 feet.

Hairs: The plant may have sparse hairs on the stems and leaves.

Thorns: Some varieties may have thorns on the branches.

Growth Form: Coral bean has a shrub-like or small tree growth form.

A young Coral Bean flowering in the spring woods.


Coral Bean flowers in spring.


Close-up of flowers.


Coral Bean leaves, already too big to cook and eat.




Coral Bean "beans", which are NOT edible.




Dried seed pods from the previous year.




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 bright red, tubular flowers of the coral bean bush make a distinctive addition to the Gulf Coast region spring colors. This leggy bush, if not subjected to a killing frost, can grow into a small, wide-crowned tree which is sometimes used in landscaping. Normally it is found as a clusters of bushes about four feet tall in open clearings of woods and occasionally in fields. It does best in sandy, well-drained soils such as those along rivers and stream but due to their preference for dry feet, they'll be back quite a way from the water's edge. If the winter was mild enough you are likely to find flowers, fresh green seedpods and old cracked-open seedpods on the same plant. The spade-shaped, compound leaves grown in groups of three and have the neat feature of always being turned toward the sun, a process which is called "phototropism".

The only edible part of this plant are the red flowers and youngest leaves. Both parts must be boiled for 15 minutes to render them safe to eat. Cooking does shrink them the flowers and leaves down quite a bit so you'll want to harvest a lot...but never more than 10% of the flowers and new leaves so to insure the plant stays healthy and can reproduce. Stick to eating leaves 1.0-1.5 inches long, or smaller. The young leaves can also be boiled for a tea which some native tribes considered to be a general health tonic.

The red beans can not be made safe to eat as they contain a poison similar to curare. In Mexico these seeds are used to poison pest animals such as rats.

Hummingbirds love the sweet nectar found in the flowers and are immune to the coral bean toxins. While foragers and hummingbirds may like this shrub, many other land-owners find it to be a somewhat invasive nuisance. The plant produces many seeds which can cause it to quickly spread over an area, rendering it unfit for cattle or other domesticated animals.


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.

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.

Desert Willow

Scientific Name(s): Chilopsis linearis
Abundance: common
What: flowers, leaves, bark
How: tea, poultice, tincture
Where: stream banks, arroyos of the desert areas
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: low
Dangers: don't mistake a poisonous, landscaping Oleander for desert willow!

Medicinal Summary:
Flower - tea soothes coughs
Bark & Root - teas and tinctures are antimicrobial and antifungal

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are alternate along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Chilopsis linearis leaves are linear or lanceolate, giving the plant its specific epithet.

Leaf Venation: The venation is parallel.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is entire, meaning it lacks serrations.

Leaf Color: The leaves are typically green, and there is often no significant color difference between the top and underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are tubular and arranged in terminal clusters. Lower flowers on the branch will be open while ones nearer the branch tip may still be closed.

Flower Color: Chilopsis linearis flowers come in various colors, including shades of pink, lavender, or white.

Fruit: The fruit is a long, slender bean-like capsule.

Seed: Seeds are small and numerous within the capsule.

Bark: The bark is typically smooth and dark-grayish.

Hairs: Flower buds are covered in fine hairs, as is the interior of seed pods.

Height: Chilopsis linearis can reach heights of 15 to 30 feet (4.5 to 9 meters), depending on environmental conditions.

Desert Willow in March in a gully in Big Bend Ranch State Park (no foraging allowed).


Close-up of flower in March in Big Bend Ranch State Park. Note the unopened buds higher up the branch.


Another close-up of the flower.


Unopened flower buds in March in Big Bend Ranch State Park (no foraging allowed).


Desert willow bark is generally smooth, dark and spotted. Note the


Last year's dried seedpods may still be hanging on the desert willow. They have fluffy seed "parachutes" like milkweed.


Another desert willow growing along a dry streamback in Big Bend Ranch State Park (no foraging allowed).


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.


Late winter/early spring is a beautiful time in west Texas desert areas, especially along the streambeds that winter rains had soaked the soil briefly but thoroughly. The water walks up the desert, covering it with a confetti of flowers. Perhaps the most beautiful are the big, pink-purple flowers of the desert willow. This small, usually multi-trunked tree can be found growing upwards from the safety of large boulders along the arroyos of west Texas but also in a few counties randomly spread across Texas. Because of its compact but interesting growth pattern and wonderful flowers it is used as a xeriscape landscaping tree in many Texas cities from Houston to Amarillo.

Though note a true willow, the desert willow gets its name from its liner to lanceolate, hairless leaves. These leaves have pinnate vein patterns with a main, center vein from which secondary veins branch outwards and upwards, reconnecting out towards the edge of the leaf.The edges of the leaves are entire, lacking any sort of serrations or lobes. Oddly, the leaves can be arranged along the branches in both alternating and opposite patterns. A tea (tisane) or tincture made from the leaves and bark is antimicrobial, especially against fungal infections. Rinsing out the cuts and scratches one gets when traveling through the desert are well cared for with a wash of the leaf/bark tea. A tincture will also clean out wounds but will sting.

The violet-scented flowers are triggered by the earliest warm rains of spring. They sprout near the ends of branches beyond the leaves. These branches continue to grow and produce new flower buds into the summer. Pink and purple flowers with light-colored throats seem to be the most common but even white flowers are possible. The inside surface of the petal(s) can often be striped with a much darker shade than the rest of the flower.

Tea made from the fragrant flowers of desert willow is what you're really after. Gently tug on a flower and if it comes off the tree easily add it to a jar until the container is half full. Fill it to the top with water (approximately 1 part flowers, 2 parts water) and let it soak in the sunlight for half a day. Strain out the flowers, add some ice to cool it down, and drink the drink of desert secrets. Medicinally, the flower tea soothes rough coughs.

After the flowers come long, green seedpods. By fall these pods can be 6"-10" long and soon split open to release their fluffy seeds to float away. The brown, dried pods remain on the tree, helping identify it when the flowers aren't present. Though these long beans look inviting when green, they are not considered edible.

While these small trees require little water their growth indicates water is likely close to the surface. Digging around them can often uncover a seep of murky but life-giving water. Be sure to purify it as you would any wild water, such as by boiling, filtering, or a chemical treatment.

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.