Bay Laurel

Scientific name: Laurus nobilis & Persea borbonia var. borbonia
Abundance: plentiful
What: nuts, leaves
How: roast nuts, used leaf as seasoning
Where: woods, borders
When: leaves all year, nuts in the fall
Nutritional Value: Calcium, iron, other minerals, vitamins A, C, B6, folate.
Other uses: nuts contain a mild stimulant
Dangers: Looks similar to the very poisonous cherry laurel. The leaves of cherry laurel smell like cherry/cyanide and have toothed edges while bay laurel leaves have smooth edges and smell like Italian seasoning.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - aid digestion; reduces bloating from gas; soothes skin, urinary tract and bronchial inflammations (tisane)

Laurus nobilis (Sweetbay) Structures:

Leaf Arrangement: Bay Laurel leaves are alternate, glossy, and lanceolate.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are elliptical, measuring around 2 to 4 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: Prominent veins are visible on the leaves, contributing to their overall structure.

Leaf Margin: Leaf margins are typically smooth, without serrations.

Flower Structure: Bay Laurel produces small, yellow-green flowers arranged in clusters.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, shiny black berry, approximately 0.5 inches in diameter.

Bark: The bark is smooth and light gray-brown on younger branches, becoming rougher on older trunks.

Height: Bay Laurel trees can reach heights of 30 to 40 feet.

Hairs: Leaves are generally smooth, but young leaves may have fine hairs on the undersides.

Fragrance: The leaves emit a distinctive "bay" aromatic scent when crushed.

Color: Leaves are dark green, and flowers are yellow-green.

Persea borbonia (Redbay) Structures:

Leaf Arrangement: Redbay leaves are alternate, simple, and lanceolate.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are lance-shaped, measuring around 3 to 6 inches in length.

 

Leaf Venation: Prominent veins are visible on the leaves, contributing to their overall structure.

Leaf Margin: Leaf margins are typically smooth, without serrations.

Flower Structure: Redbay produces small, greenish-yellow flowers arranged in clusters.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, shiny drupe, black when mature, approximately 0.5 inches in diameter.

Bark: The bark is smooth and reddish-brown on younger branches, becoming rougher on older trunks.

Height: Redbay trees can reach heights of 30 to 50 feet.

Hairs: Leaves are generally smooth, without noticeable hairs.

Fragrance: The leaves may have a pleasant scent of traditional bay spice when crushed.

Color: Leaves are dark green, and flowers are greenish-yellow.

Young tree. They get much bigger with time.



Much older, larger bay tree!


Leaves closeup (Bay Laurel leaves have smooth edges)


Nuts


Dead leaves on a bay tree suffering Laurel Wilt. This fungal disease is transferred by an alien beetle and is wiping out our native bay trees. Currently there's no cure. :-(


Teeth (pointy bits along edge of leaves) + cyanide/cherry smell = poisonous cherry laurel. DO NOT EAT CHERRY LAUREL!!


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.

I know these can be found in Montgomery County, TX.

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


Texas has multiple types of bay trees. Around Houston the most common are sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), redbay (Persea borbonia) and laurel cherry (Prunus caroliniana). All three grow in the same environment, preferably as understory trees in moist, shaded areas. Very slow growing, most you’ll find will be small trees around 20’ tall. However, mature trees can rival oaks in size and appearance. Crushed sweet bay and redbay leaves have a wonderful bay aroma while laurel cherry smells like bitter almonds or artificial cherry scent. That bitter almond smell is poisonous cyanide and the so the leaves of the laurel cherry should not be used as a seasoning or consumed in any other manner.

Besides scent, the toxic laurel cherry trees can be distinguished from safe sweet bay and redbay by the edges of their leaves. The sweet bay and redbay leaf edges will be smooth while the dangerous laurel cherry leaves will have teeth, ranging in number from two very small ones near the base to many all along the leaf edge.

The leaves of the sweet bay and redbay are available all year long and are added to sauces and other foods where one would traditionally use bay leaves. They do have a very potent flavor, so you usually don't need to add more than 3-4. They can be used fresh or dried. Add the leaves while cooking but remove them before serving as no bay leaves should actually be eaten. Supposedly these stiff, hard leaves can penetrate an intestine.

In the fall the dark nuts are toasted and then nibbled on as a strongly-flavored snack. Remove the soft flesh from the bay nut then roll the nuts around in a very hot pan until they start to split open. Remove the outer brittle husk then return the inner meat back to the pan for a final toasting. No oil or grease is needed. These toasted nuts can also be ground and used as a seasoning. 3-5 of these roasted seeds, when boiled in water then adding nutmeg and cinnamon make a very pleasant drink which tastes somewhat like coffee.

Our bay trees are currently under grave attack by a fungal disease transmitted by the invasive, Asian beetle Xyleborus glabratus. This fungal infection first shows up by branches dying and their leaves turning brown. Eventually the whole tree will die, taking with it the main birthplace of Palamedes Swallowtail butterflies. So this disease may not just wipe out one of the south's most common trees, it may also drive that butterfly to extinction, too.


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.

American Beautyberry

Scientific name: Callicarpa americana, Callicarpa japonica
Abundance: Plentiful
What: ripe berries
How: raw, preserves
Where: woods
When: late summer, fall
Nutritional Value: minor amounts of vitamins and carbohydrates
Other uses: Recent studies indicate beauty berry leaves contain several very strong mosquito repellent molecules. Toxicity of these molecules still needs to be determined.
Dangers: Some people have reported stomach upset after eating beauty berries. Limit yourself to small servings until you know how your body will react.

Medicinal Summary:
Root Bark - diuretic; treats dysentery and stomach aches (tisane)
Leaves & Root - sweatbath soothes rheumatism

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in an opposite-alternating pattern along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are typically ovate to elliptic, with a length ranging from 2 to 6 inches and a width of 1.5 to 3 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small, with a diameter of approximately 1/8 inch, and are clustered around leaf/stem junctions.

Flower Color: Callicarpa americana flowers can be pink to purple.

Fruit: The fruit is a drupe, usually glossy and violet to purple, about 1/8 inch in diameter.

Seed: Seeds are small and enclosed within the drupe.

Bark: The bark is usually smooth and brown.

Hairs: Leaves and stems have fine hairs.

Height: Callicarpa americana typically grows to a height of 3 to 8 feet.

American Beautyberry with ripe berries.


Closeup of the berries. They are almost ripe, just need to darken to a deep purple color.


Closeup of a beautyberry leaf.


Immature berry clusters.


Japanese beautyberry stay white rather than turn purple. They are edible.


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 late summer turns to fall the bright magenta berries of American beautyberry capture the eye. These shrubs average 3’ to 5’ tall and wide but exceptional ones can grow over 8’ tall. They are understory plants found in most wooded areas, especially if moist soil. American beautyberry shrubs lose their leaves in the winter but the clusters of dried berries often remain on its long, drooping branches. Leaves appear in late spring, often after many other plants. The clusters of purple/pink flowers appear in early summer and quickly become small, white-pink berries.

American beautyberry berries become edible upon reaching full ripeness which usually occurs in late summer to early fall. They should be a dark purple/magenta color but not turning wrinkled and dry. These berries can be eaten raw and have a mild, slight medicinal flavor. To truly maximize the potential of these berries it is best to make jelly out of them. Combine 1.5 qts of berries with 1 qt. water, boil for 20 minutes and then strain out the solids. Add 4.5 cups of sugar and one envelope of Sure Jell to the liquid. Bring the liquid back up to boil for two minutes, skimming off any foam. Pour the hot jelly into sterilized jars and seal. If it doesn't set up you'll need to add another 1/4 envelope of Sure Jell or just use it as a fantastic syrup! The resulting jelly has a unique flavor which reminds me of rose petals and champagne.

These berries can also be used to make wine. Being low in sugars it is best to combine American beautyberry fruit with something sweeter such as grapes or bananas, otherwise the resulting wine will be a bit weak and have an uncomplex flavor.

Some people have reported stomach upset after eating beauty berries. Limit yourself to small servings until you know how your body will react

Three different molecules having mosquito repellent properties have been found in the leaves. Testing by the US army shows these compounds are similar to DEET in their ability to repel mosquitoes but human toxicity has not been determined. I recommend rubbing crushed leaves on your clothing rather than directly onto bare skin. Also note, while effective against mosquitoes these three chemicals don't seem to repel wood ticks or chiggers.



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.

Beefsteak Weed

Scientific Name(s): Perilla frutescens
Abundance: invasive
What: leaves, flowers, seeds
How: raw, cooked, tea
Where: shade, woods, borders
When: summer
Nutritional Value: leaves have fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamins A, C, riboflavin; seeds have omega-3 fatty acids
Dangers: dried plants can become toxic to cattle

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - antiasthmatic, antibacterial, general antiseptic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, emollient, expectorant, antioxidant; anti-inflammatory; antidepressant, and general tonic

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are broadly ovate to cordate, with a length of approximately 2 to 4 inches and a width of 1.5 to 3 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with veins creating a textured appearance.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are serrated or toothed, providing a slightly jagged edge.

Leaf Color: The top side of the leaves is typically green, while the underside may have a purplish tint.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small, tubular, and arranged in spikes or racemes at the tips of the stems. Being a member of the mint family, each flower typically has five fused petals and 4 stamen.

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

Fruit: The fruit is a small, nutlet or seed, produced after flowering.

Seed: Seeds are small, rounded, and may have a brown or black color.

Stem: The stems are square-shaped, a characteristic feature of the mint family (Lamiaceae). They may have a purplish tint.

Hairs: The plant has very distinctive hairs on the stem. Leave may have a fuzzy texture due to fine hairs.

Height: Perilla frutescens can reach a height of 1 to 3 feet, depending on environmental conditions.

Young Beefsteak Weed. The leave's flavor is excellent right now.


Mature Beefsteak plant.


Mature Beefsteak plant...note the purplish color on the underside of the leaf.


A stand of Beefsteak plants.


Close-up of leaf. Note the sharp teeth along the edge and how the veins run along the bottom of these teeth.


Close-ups of the reddish, hairy stem. Note the square shape, opposite leaves and how the flower stalks join the stems at the leaf joints.




Close-up of flower stalk after losing flowers. Note the alternating, opposite arrangement.


Close-up of flower.


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


Originally a popular seasoning herb and medicine in Asia, Beefsteak Weed has become an invasive plant across central and eastern United States. In Texas these plants are usually found near urban and suburban areas where they've gone feral from landscaping beds and gardens. Beefsteak plants seem to prefer disturbed areas, especially shady areas with moist but well-drained soil. Being in the mint family, Beefsteak Weeds have a strong minty scent, show the characteristic square hollow stem, have alternating-opposite leaves, and reproduce vigorously.

The sweetish-flavored young leaves have a long history of both being used in salads or cooked as a seasoning for rice and other dishes. The flower stalks (inflorescence) are used as garnishes. The seeds are roasted and mixed in with other dishes, dried and then ground as a seasoning, and were pressed for their oil. This oil is comparable to rapeseed oil.

An oil distilled from the leaves was used as a flavoring agent in both toothpastes and candy though these have been replaced by synthetic version nowadays.

The entire plant is dried then reconstituted in tea for medicinal uses. Traditional Asian herbal medicine states it is an antiasthmatic, antibacterial, general antiseptic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, emollient, expectorant, and general tonic. It supposedly has strong anti-cancer properties.

Being invasive, it should be destroyed on sight but at least it can be used after harvesting. Maybe someday if enough people start eating it we can stop it from damaging native ecosystems.


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.

Betony

Scientific name: Stachys floridana
Abundance: common
What: tubers, leaves, stems
How: tubers raw, cooked, or pickled; leaves & stems in tea or smoked; leaves in salad
Where: shady undergrowth, lawns
When: during cool seasons, especially winter
Nutrional value: calories from tuber, antioxidants in leaves,
Dangers: plants can reproduce from even small section of tuber making them invasive

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stems/Flowers - hemostatic; reduces cold symptoms; reduces bronchial issues; improves digestion; soothes skin inflammations (tisane, smoke, poultice)

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are lanceolate, with a lengths of approximately 1" and widths of 3/4". Base is broader than the rounded tip.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are toothed, providing a slightly scalloped appearance.

Leaf Color: The leaves are typically green, and there may not be a significant color difference between the top and underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in dense spikes at the tips of the stems, with individual flowers forming small, tubular structures. Each flower typically has a hood-like upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip.

Flower Color: The flowers can vary in color, commonly appearing in shades of pink, purple, or lavender.

Fruit: The fruit is a small nutlet or seed, produced after the flowering period.

Seed: Seeds are small, ovoid, and may have a brown or black color.

Stem: The stems are typically square-shaped, a characteristic feature of the mint family (Lamiaceae).

Roots: Fibrous root structure with numerous white, segmented tubers when plant is mature.

Hairs: The plant may have fine hairs on the stems or leaves, contributing to a slightly fuzzy or textured appearance.

Height: Stachys floridana can reach a height of 12"-18", depending on environmental conditions.

Young plant and immature tubers


Plant and edible tuber


Mature plant after it dropped its flowers in the spring.


Betony patch (plants with the purple flowers are betony)






Close-up of betony flowers.




Close-up of betony tubers. The tubers will be this large in the spring and summer.




Close-up of betony leaf. Note the square stem and the alternating, opposite leaf arrangement. These are signs of the mint family.




If you have a cold, sell your coat and buy betony!
-Italian proverb

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


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. Betony appears all through Gulf & East Texas.

Large patches of betony plants can be found in local forest from mid-fall until mid/late spring. During this time the tubers are growing, reaching full size of over four inches long. Not every plant produces a tuber, you need to dig up quite a few to find them. The looser the soil the bigger the tubers will grow. These plants readily reproduce from bits of tubers and roots and so are considered to be invasive.

Betony flowers in the spring and this is a sign the plant is almost done for the year. You can eat the flowers or make a tea from them but they don't have the strong medicinal properties of the younger leaves. Usually by the time the flowers appear it's too late to harvest betony leaves.

Betony has a long history of being an herbal "magic bullet" capable of curing many ills. It's high tannic acid content helps it staunch bleeding; assorted alkaloids and antioxidants supposedly give relief from fevers and headaches along with improving overall blood circulation. In Europe it is believed to help with issues with the stomach, liver and gallbladder. It was ingested as a tea, herb, and also by both smoking and as snuff well before the arrival of tobacco.


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.

Black Nightshade

Scientific Name(s): Solanum nigrum, Solanum ptychanthum, Solanum americanum
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, ripe berries
How: berries raw, leaves cooked
Where: yards, fields
When: summer, early fall
Nutritional Value: assorted vitamins, minerals
Dangers: small amounts of toxic alkaloid solanine can be found in green berries and even smaller amounts in leaves. 

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

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

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically entire, with occasional irregularities.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green, darker green on the top with a lighter underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small, star-shaped with 5 backwards-pointing petals, with a diameter of approximately 1/4 inch, and are usually found in clusters.

Flower Color: Black nightshade flowers are white with a yellow center.

Fruit: The fruit is a berry, initially green with tiny, white dots and turning black when mature, with a smooth surface.

Seed: Seeds are small, disc-shaped, and numerous within the berry.

Stem: Black nightshade stems are square, green and branching. 

Hairs: Leaves and stem have fine, somewhat coarse hairs.

Height: Black nightshade typically grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet, but it can vary depending on growing conditions.

Black nightshade (Solanum ptychanthum) bush.






Black Nightshade flowers. Note the backwards-pointing petals.


Close-up of black nightshade (Solanum ptychanthum) flower (white petals, yellow center.


Closeup of black nightshade (Solanum ptychanthum) fruit. Ripe fruit is black, unripe fruit is speckled green.

Don't eat the green fruit!!

Black nightshade (Solanum ptychanthum) leaves.


Front (left) and Back (right) of 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.

This map is incomplete.

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


Spring up uninvited just about anywhere some bare, fertile soil waits, black nightshades with its tiny white flowers, clusters of black berries, and small leaves can grow 3’ to 4’ tall and just as wide between spring and the first frost of winter.

The leaves are lanceolate or elliptic in shape with smooth edges. Looking closely at the flowers, the petals are revealed to be folded backwards, an indication you are looking at the mellow-flavored Solanum ptychanthum aka American nightshade. The berries of this plant start out green with white spots but quickly turn black and edible. Birds love these berries which is why the plant quickly gets spread far and wide via bird poop. You'll find flowers, unripe berries, and ripe berries all at the same time on a single plants as it continuously produces its tiny fruit all summer long.

The main edible portion of Solanum ptychanthum are its leaves which I love cooked in curry sauce then poured over chicken and rice. Time spent with the amazing forager, Sam Thayer, revealed the young, tender leaves are a fine, raw addition to salads. That being said, it's still safest to cook the leaves, especially if you aren't used to eating lots of wild plants. 

The very similar-looking Solanum nigrum is one of the most popular vegetables of Asia and Southern Europe yet here in North America, where it has naturalized, it is lumped in with its much more poisonous family members such as belladonna. Its green, immature berries do contain solanine but the ripe berries are safe to eat. My preferred way of preparing them is baking in muffins and pies. 

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.