Canna Lily

Scientific name: Canna indica
Abundance: common
What: Tubers, young shoots
How: Pulp to remove starch, cook shoots
Where: Sunny areas, often in landscapes
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: Calories
Other uses: They will absorb pollutants/contaminants from wetlands.

Mature canna lilies in the wild.

The leaves look like banana plants and can be used to wrap foods for cooking just like banana leaves.

Mature canna lilies in my backyard.


Edible tuber. Use it just like a potato.


Young edible shoot.


Flowers (not edible).








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


Canna lilies were a vital food source for Northwestern Native Americans and contain the highest percentage of starch of any known tuber. They can be cooked like potatoes though the natives would also make flour from them. To obtain canna lily flour slice the tubers into 1/4" disks and allow them to dry for a day or two. Then crumble these disks up in a large bowl of water. The starch (flour) will sink to the bottom of the bowl and any fiber will float to the top where it can be collected and discarded. Allow the starch to dry completely then grind/pound it into flour.

The tubers can be eaten raw but cooking them makes their starch more digestible. Traditionally they are boiled but baking in medium heat (300F) a long time gives great results. Native cultures would bury them under a fire for up to 12 hours. Cook them with their skin to keep them from drying out during cooking but then discard the skin before eating.

The starchy tubers can also be used to make alcohol, just like potatoes. A amylase enzyme of some sort needs to be added to break its starch down into sugars which can be converted into alcohol by yeast. Yeast can't change starch into alcohol.

The young shoots can be cooked and eaten like asparagus and the leaves can be used like banana leaves to wrap food for baking.

These plants are hardy and grow very well in most conditions though they prefer sun and moisture. Leaf-roller caterpillars will "stitch" the top growing leaves together resulting in stunted, ugly growth but they don't kill the plant. Just open up the leaves and remove the caterpillar. You can also cut the rolled leaves off and the plant will resume normal growth.

These plants will thrive in the southern areas of the United States but north of the Mason-Dixon line it is best if you dig up the tubers and store them in a dark, cool (but not freezing!) place then replanting them in the spring.


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.

Day Lily

Scientific name: Hemerocallis fulva
Abundance: common
What: leaves, flowers, flower pods, tubers
How: young leaves-raw or cooked; flowers/pods raw or cooked; tubers-cooked
Where: sunny areas, often in flower beds but have escaped
When: summer
Nutritional Value: calories, minerals, vitamins B & C
Dangers: The original species (Hemerocallis fulva) of day lilies is considered edible but due to extensive experimental breeding toxic forms of day lilies have been created. It is safest to only eat day lilies that you can confirm are Hemerocallis fulva at the time of purchase (it should say the species name somewhere on the sales tag).

Day Lily flowers and flower pods.




Root tubers.


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


The flowers add a colorful splash to salads while the unopened flower buds are best battered then fried...but then everything is good battered then fried. Roast the tubers.


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.

Lantana

Scientific Name(s): Lantana spp.
Abundance: plentiful
What: ripe berries (dark blue colored)
How: raw or cooked
Where: sunny yards, borders, fields
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: low
Dangers: Leaves and unripe fruit are very poisonous and eating them can lead to death.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves* - wound healing; antimicrobial (poultice, tisane used as a wash)
*external use only due to being extremely poisonous if taken internally

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged oppositely alternating along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, with a length ranging from 2 to 5 inches and a width of 1 to 3 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is typically pinnate, with prominent lateral veins.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is serrated, providing a toothed appearance.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green, and there may be variations in color on the top and underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in clusters, known as umbels, at the ends of the stems. Each flower has a tubular structure with a diameter of approximately 0.5 to 1 inch and features multiple small, tubular petals.

Flower Color: Lantana flowers exhibit a wide range of colors, including shades of pink, orange, yellow, and purple. In some species, flowers change color as they age.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, fleshy drupe, usually dark purple to black when mature.

Seed: Seeds are small, ovoid, and dark-colored, often found within the fruits.

Stem: The stems are typically green, woody, and may have a slightly square-shaped appearance.

Hairs: The plant may have fine hairs on the stems and leaves. Leaves have a rough texture.

Height: Lantana plants vary in height but generally range from 1 to 4 feet, depending on the species and growing conditions.

Lantana plant and flowers. TOXIC! DEADLY!


Another lantana. TOXIC! DEADLY!


Lantana berries, edible only when fully ripe.


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.


Cooked lantana berries are considered starvation food in that they aren't eaten unless there's nothing else to eat. All other parts of the plant are deadly! Boil or toast the berries before eating them.

The pungent leaves of Lantanas contain powerful antibiotics and after mashing the fresh leaves they can be used EXTERNALLY on wounds to reduce the chance of infection. Do NOT chew the leaves to make the poultice as they'll poison you.


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.

Nasturtium

Scientific Name(s): Tropaeolum majus
Abundance: common
What: flowers and leaves
How: raw
Where: yards, flower beds
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: Vit. C

Nasturtium flower


Nasturtium plant


Nasturtium flowers have a strong peppery-radish taste which really spices up a salad. They can also be added to assorted pickled foods for extra flavor. Blend some of the flowers into mayonnaise for spicy sandwich spread.

They make good companion plants for cabbage-family plants as they drive away harmful insects that want to munch on your plants. They will also help protect tomatoes, cucumbers and fruit trees.


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)

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.