Carolina Bristle Mallow

Scientific Name(s): Modiola caroliniana
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves
How: tea
Where: yards, fields, wastelands
When: spring, summer, fall, winter
Nutritional Value: minor
Dangers: beware poisonous mimic Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves of Modiola caroliniana are ovate to heart-shaped, often with a slightly lobed or undulating margin. Lobes become less pronounced as the plant matures.

Leaf Venation: Venation is palmate, with each lobe having a central vein.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are crenate or serrate, meaning they have rounded or sharp teeth respectively.

Leaf Color: Leaves are generally a medium to dark green.

Flower Structure: The 5-petaled flowers are solitary, 1/4" in diameter, and borne on long pedicels.

Flower Color: Carolina bristle mallow is notable for their bright orange to red color, with a yellow center.

Fruits: The fruit is a small, flat capsule containing several seeds. Young capsules are green, but turn dark as the mature.

Seeds: Seeds are tiny and numerous.

Stems: Stems are slender and can be either erect or sprawling but generally creep along the ground

Hairs: The plant has coarse hairs along the stems, leaves, and seed capsules.

Roots: Roots often grow wherever the stem's leaf junction touches soil.

Plant Height: Carolina bristle mallow typically grows to a height of 6 to 12 inches.

Carolina Bristle Mallow.






Close-up of flower and seedpod.


Surface portion of Carolina Bristle Mallow plus long runner.


Younger Carolina Bristle Mallow leaves are more deeply cleft/lobed than mature leaves.


The leaves feel coarse and the stem is hairy.


Close-up of the leaves.


The stem/runners of Carolina Bristle Mallow put down roots where it touches soil.


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 through the grass of unkempt yards and just about anywhere else where other plant life doesn't tower over it, Carolina Bristle Mallow is found all over Texas...or at least anywhere there's enough rainfall to support grass. The plant looks and feels unappealing, with its coarse, scratchy leaves and stiff, hairy stem. While this plant looks a bit like the highly nutritious Malva neglecta, Carolina Bristle Mallow is unrelated and doesn't have a similar high vitamin, mineral, and protein content. In fact, it's not even in the Malvaceae family but rather the lone member of its own unique genus, Modiola.

It's not a plant one adds to salads nor is there any record of anyone cooking it. Its only common use is to make a refreshing cold tea by soaking the shredded leaves in water for a couple of hours, staining, then serving over ice. This tea was drank by Natives and settlers to fight overheating as there's some suggestions that it lowers the initial sweating temperature of its drinkers. The sooner one starts sweating, the more heat they can dump from their body as long as they are drinking enough water to stay well hydrated.

Don't mistake young, toxic Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) for Carolina Bristle Mallow. Creeping Buttercup leaves have deeper clefts and a shinier, light-green color growing up from a single taproot. Remember, Carolina Bristle Mallow puts roots down anywhere its stems touch soil. If you aren't sure what you have, wait a few weeks to see how the plant grows. If it develops yellow flowers and sharply cleft leaves it's the toxic Creeping Buttercup.

Carolina Bristle Mallow on the left. Creeping Buttercup on the right.


Young, toxic Creeping Buttercup.


Mature, toxic Creeping Buttercup.



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.

Clover - Red

Scientific Name(s): Trifolium pratense
Abundance: uncommon
What: leaves, flowers
How: leaves raw or boiled; flowers tea or smoked
Where: sunny fields
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: protein, assorted medicinal compounds

Medicinal Summary:
Flowers - possible female hormone replacement; soothes hot flashes; adjusts menstrual irregularities (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves have an alternate arrangement with leaves emerging individually at different points along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The compound leaves are trifoliate, meaning each leaf is composed of three leaflets. These leaflets are broadly ovate, meaning they are egg-shaped with the wider end at the base.

Venation: Red clover exhibits pinnate venation, where a central vein runs through each leaflet with smaller veins branching off to the sides.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are slightly toothed or serrated, particularly towards the tip.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a rich green, often with a characteristic lighter or white V-shaped marking on each leaflet.

Flower Structure: The flowers are grouped in dense, round to oval flower heads. Each flower head consists of numerous small, tubular florets.

Flower Color: The flowers are typically a deep pink or purple, though they can occasionally be a lighter pink or even white at the top of the clusters.

Fruit: The fruit is a small pod, usually containing one or two seeds.

Seeds: Seeds are small, yellowish to dark brown, and kidney-shaped.

Stem: The stem of Trifolium pratense can be either erect or ascending.

Hairs: There are fine hairs present on the stems and leaves, giving them a slightly fuzzy texture.

Height: Red clover plants typically grow to a height of 12 to 20 inches.

Red clover (plus some white clover around the edges)




Close-up of red clover flower. Note the white "V" chevrons on the leaves (somewhat hard to see in this picture).




Extreme close-up of Red Clover flower.


Red clover leaf. Note the white "V" on each leaflet.


Red clover stems are hairy.


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.



Red clovers fill fields and country roadside ditches with bright splashes of color. They form thick colonies of plants, usually well under two feet tall. They are often planted on purpose along Texas roadside for their color and beauty.

Red clover leaves and flowers can be eaten raw but they are easier to digest if boiled for a bit. More often the flowers (fresh or dried) are made into beneficial tea. Seep/simmer (don't boil) the red clover leaves and flowers in water for about ten minutes to release its full flavor and helpful chemicals such as salicylic acid (aspirin), trypotphan (sleep inducer), genistan (anti-cancer agent), and estrogenic chemicals.

Red clover turns purple as it dries. If picked still red and allowed to dry it creates a delicious flavored smoke. However, don't bother trying to smoke flower heads which dried still on the plant, they aren't nearly as flavorful.



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Horse Crippler Cactus

Scientific Name(s): Echinocactus texensis
Abundance: uncommon
What: flowers, fruit
How: raw, cooked
Where: sunny fields, dry areas
When: fall, winter
Nutritional Value: calories, vitamin C
Dangers: beware of thorns!

Leaf Arrangement: Not applicable, as Echinocactus texensis is a cactus and does not have true leaves, with the primary structure being the ribbed stem.

Leaf Shape: The plant lacks traditional leaves; the spines emerge from areoles on the ribbed stem.

Leaf Venation: Not applicable due to the absence of traditional leaves.

Leaf Margin: Not applicable as there are no leaves.

Leaf Color: Not applicable; the plant features a green to bluish-green stem.

Flower Structure: Flowers are solitary, growing from the crown of the cactus.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually pink to red.

Fruit: Produces a fleshy, barrel-shaped fruit, approximately 1" in diameter, clustered at the center of the cactus.

Seed: Seeds are small and black, contained within the fruit.

Stem: Globular to cylindrical, with pronounced ribs and areoles from which spines emerge.

Hairs: The plant has spines, which are modified hairs, typically dense and covering the ribs.

Height: The cactus typically grows to a height of 6 to 8 inches.

Top view of Horse Crippler with fruit.


Side view of Horse Crippler with fruit.




Close-up of fruit.


Close-ups of thorns.




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.


Hiding low in the grasslands of the southwestern counties of Texas as well as randomly in other arid prairie locations, Horse Crippler Cactus is a boobytrap waiting to puncture the foot of the unwary. This low, dome-shaped cactus grows only 1-2 inches tall but up to a foot across with a lifespan measure in centuries! These cacti are covered with clusters of seven or so wicked thorns, one of which will be 2-3 inches long while the others will only be about 1 inch in length. Most of the thorns will have a slight downward curve. Horse Cripple Cacti can bloom in spring through summer and these flowers have red centers surrounded by duo-toned, pink or light purple petals which open during the day but close up at night.

The ripe, red fruit looks very similar to the "tunas" of prickly pears and are used the same way. The flavor of these fruit is more subtle than that of prickly pears but still delicious. Due to the numerous seeds, I prefer squeezing the juice from these fruit then boiling it down into a syrup. The seeds can be collected from the fruit, roasted, then boiled into porridge or ground into a gluten-free flour.

Horse Crippler Cactus transplant easily into WELL drained pots and will love the hottest, direct sunlight Texas has to offer. They love the south or west-facing, wind-swept balconies of apartments where any other plant would shrivel up and die.


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.

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.