Dollarweed

Scientific name: Hydrocotyle spp.
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, stems
How: raw
Where: yards, marshes, water
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: some minerals
Dangers: Thoroughly wash plants collected from water to remove any harmful bacteria.

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves emerge singly on long petioles from creeping stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are round and peltate, meaning the leaf stalk attaches to the center of the leaf blade. They typically measure 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Leaf Venation: Venation is obicular, radiating out from the central point where the petiole attaches.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are scalloped or toothed.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a bright, glossy green, sometimes with a slightly lighter color in the center.

Flower Structure: Small, umbrella-like clusters of tiny flowers rise on slender stalks from the leaf axils.

Flower Color: The flowers are generally white or pale green.

Fruit: Produces a small, flat fruit, not typically noticeable.

Seed: The seeds are contained within the small fruits, are minute in size.

Stem: Stems are slender, creeping, underground, and rooted at the leaf nodes.

Hairs: There are no significant hairs on the leaves or stems.

Height: The foliage and flowers typically rise a few inches above the ground, with the creeping stems spreading widely along the ground surface.

Dollarweeds domineering wood sorrel, pony's foot, and young cleavers.


A yard taken over by dollarweeds.


Dollarweeds in the woods.


Dollarweeds along the shore of a pond.


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.


Dollarweed is a common yard weed that drives many people nuts. The single, round leaf with a centered stem seems to explore across otherwise perfect lawns. Mowing them down or picking them leaves the roots behind which will quickly produce a new crop of green disks. These weeds vex homeowners in all but the very hottest and coldest times of the year, becoming most prevalent in the spring and fall.

Dollarweeds the size of quarters or smaller and my favorites, tasting somewhat like cucumber peels. I prefer the younger, more tender, nickel-sized "circles" over larger ones. The larger ones have a dry, slightly bitter/chalky taste. Luckily, Dollarweeds of all sizes can be fermented like cabbage to make "dollarweed-kraut" or a yard-based version of kimchee. Just pick the circles, leave the stingy, tough stems behind.

Dollar weed on left, edible Pony's Foot on right.


Some people get confused between dollarweed and pony's foot (Dichondra carolinensis). The leaf of dollarweed is a complete circle whereas pony's foot is cleft, giving it the shape of a horse's hoof.


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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.


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Frog Fruit

Scientific Name(s): Lippia nodiflora
Abundance: common
What: leaves
How: cooked, tea, smoked
Where: yards, landscaping, fields, sunny,
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: vitamins
Dangers: beware of harvesting from soils treated with pesticides.

Medicinal Summary
Leaves - fever reducer, antimicrobial, cough suppressant, reduces respiratory issues (tisane, smoke)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged in an opposite alternating pattern along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are broadly elliptical to ovate, typically measuring about 0.5 to 1.5 inches in length and 0.25 to 0.75 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: Venation is pinnate, with a central vein and smaller veins branching off towards the margins.

Leaf Margin: The margins are serrated or toothed, particularly towards the leaf tip.

Leaf Color: The color of the leaves is a deep green, often with a slightly lighter shade along the veins.

Flower Structure: Flowers are small, clustered in dense, rounded heads at the tips of stems or in leaf axils, and have a funnel shape.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually white or pale pink.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, dry, two-part capsule.

Seed: Seeds are tiny, contained within the small capsules.

Stem: Stems are slender, creeping or trailing, and can root at the nodes.

Hairs: There are fine hairs along the stems and leaves.

Height: The plant typically spreads along the ground, with the flowering stems rising a few inches above the foliage.

Lots of frog fruit.




Frog fruit leaves.


Close-up of frog fruit's flower cluster.


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.



I really don't know why frog fruit has this name, though the flower clusters do look kind of like tiny pineapples. This common, summertime weed seems to like sunny, grassy areas and disturbed locations. In these places it can form thick mats, shot through with a few other low weeds and grasses. Its tough leaves have pointy-toothed edges and a pinnate vein pattern. Stems are tough and somewhat rough. Because of its durable, drought resistant nature it is becoming popular in landscaping.

While the cooked leaves are edible, their texture and grass-like flavor isn't all that great. A more common use is to make a tea or smoked. Used in these manners, frog fruit is believed to offer relief from fevers, coughs, and other mild respiratory issues. For tea and smoking, let the leaves dry for a few weeks for best flavor and medicinal properties.



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Chanterelle Mushrooms

Scientific Name(s): Cantharellus cinnabarinus, Cantharellus texensis, Cantharellus lateritius, Cantharellus cibarius
Abundance: uncommon
What: above ground caps and stems
How: cooked
Where: woodlands, near oaks; some yards
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: minor
Dangers:

COLLECTING MUSHROOM REQUIRES 100% CERTAINTY. WWW.FORAGINGTEXAS.COM ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR IDENTIFICATION ERRORS BY ANY READERS.

Cantharellus cibarius.




Note how the gills run down into the stem.
















Cross-section showing the false gills. There is no demarcation between the cap and the "gill" structures, they are all one continuous unit.

Cantharellus cibarius Structural Features::

Growth Form: A highly prized, fragrant, edible mushroom, typically found on forest floors in summer and autumn. It has a symbiotic, mutualistic association with tree roots, often found near oak and beech trees.

Cap Shape and Size: Funnel-shaped with a diameter up to 4 inches, featuring a wavy, irregular margin, and varying from light yellow to deep egg-yolk yellow.

Gills or Pores: The gills are actually ridges that are forked and generally have blunt edges, wavy, and always decurrent.

Stipe Characteristics: The stem is central, fleshy, curved, smooth, and measures 2.4-3 inches long and 0.2-0.4 inches wide.

Odor: Has a somewhat apricot-like scent.

Spore Color: Pale yellow to creamy white, sometimes with a slight pinkish tinge.

Substrate and Habitat: Found in deciduous forest soils near oak, often under beech trees. Grows in many countries including Canada, the U.S., Europe, the Mediterranean, parts of eastern and southern Australia, and parts of Asia.

Other Characteristics: The chanterelle's flesh is thick and firm. 

Cantharellus lateritius false gills aren't as produced as those of other chanterelles.

Cantharellus lateritius Structural Features:

Growth Form: Mycorrhizal with oaks and sometimes hickories. Found growing alone, scattered, gregariously, densely gregariously, or in loose clusters during summer and fall. Widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains.

Cap Shape and Size: 1-3.15 inches across; planoconvex to flat when young, becoming shallowly vase-shaped with an incurved, wavy, and irregular margin. Color ranges from bright orange-yellow to egg-yolk yellow. ally more developed wrinkles near the margin. Colored like the cap but paler, often with a pinkish hue.

Stipe Characteristics: 1-2.5 inches long, 0.5-1.2 inches thick, tapering to the base. The stem is bald, colored like the cap or paler, and bruises slowly yellowish to orangish brown.

Bruising: Bruises slowly yellowish to orangish brown, occasionally blackening at the margin.

Gills or Pores: The undersurface runs down the stem; smooth or with shallow wrinkles, occasionally more developed wrinkles near the margin. Colored like the cap but paler, often with a pinkish hue.

Odor: The taste is not distinctive, but the odor is usually strong, fragrant, and sweet, reminiscent of apricots.

Spore Color: Pale pinkish yellow.

Substrate and Habitat: Found in deciduous forest soils near oak, often under beech trees.

Cantharellus texensis

Cantharellus texensis & Cantharellus cinnabarinus Structural Features: 

Growth Form:  Typically grows in the traditional "toadstool" shape, in a solitary or scattered pattern.

Cap Shape and Size: The cap is funnel-shaped, with a size ranging from 1 to 2.5 inches in diameter. It exhibits a bright orange to cinnabar-red color.

Gills or Pores: This mushroom features false gills that are shallow, well-spaced, and run down (decurrent) the stem. The gills are the same color as the cap.

Stipe Characteristics: The stipe (stem) is 1 to 2.5 inches long and 0.25 to 0.5 inches thick, with a color similar to the cap. It is smooth and solid.

Odor: They have a mild, fruity odor, not easily distinguishable.

Bruising: Bruising is not a significant characteristic for this species; there are no notable changes in color when bruised.

Spore Color: The spores are pale yellow to white in color.

Substrate and Habitat: Like most North Anerican Cantharellus, these are commonly found in hardwood forests, particularly under oaks, in the spring and fall.

Other Characteristics: Notable for its bright color, these mushrooms have a peppery taste.  

Walking through the Texas hard wood forests after several days of summer rain, a forager's eye will invariably spot gold and bright red mushrooms growing up from the forest floor, especially along ravines and washes. Most commonly, they will be near oak trees as these fungi treasures have developed a symbiotic relationship trading needed chemicals with the oak roots. They seem to like daytime temperatures between 80F and 100F. I personally use Mother's Day as the signal to start looking and September 1st as the end date.

There are several key physical traits you need to look for on chanterelles to properly identify these awesome, edible mushrooms. That they grow out of the ground in hardwood forests has already been stated. They do NOT grow on living or dead wood. All chanterelles have false gills, meaning their cap and gill structures are one continuous unit. They don't have gills but rather the underside of the cap is very wrinkled to the point of looking like gills. When cut in half it is easy to see there's no change in between the cap and the false gill material. These false gills will run down and merge into the stem, a term described as "decurrent". The stem lacks any ring or bulb at it's base. Several mushrooms may be joined together at the base of their stems. The caps are shaped like an upside down bowl when very young but soon invert into a funnel (convex) shape. Spore prints will be light gray/white in color.

Chanterelles sautéed in butter with a bit of garlic and a splash of homemade wine is very hard to beat. These mushrooms can be used in all the "normal" ways that mushrooms are cooked. The golden chanterelles has a mild, almost fruity flavor while the red cinnabarinus have a spicy, peppery flavor. They dry well for longterm storage and are usually rehydrated in hot water before use.

There are two poisonous mushrooms in my opinion that a novice might mistake for chanterelles. These poisonous mushrooms are Sulfur Tufts (Hypholoma fasciculare) and Jack O'Lanterns (Omphalotus illudens). Let's look at those, starting with the Sulfur Tuft mushroom.

Sulfur Tufts (POISONOUS!) going off buried pine root.




Unlike chanterelles, sulfur tufts grow on the dead wood of pines. Their caps will look similar to chanterelle but sulfur tufts have true gills and these gills may start yellowish but turn greenish then darken greatly as spore production gets heavy. The gills come to a sharp stop at the stem. Spore prints will be purple-brown.

Jack O'Lantern (POISONOUS!)


Like the sulfur tufts and again unlike chanterelles, Jack O'lanterns grow on dead/dying hardwood. They are dark orange in color, and have true gills which end at the stem. Jack o'lantern spore prints will be pale, creamy, or yellowish.

By Antonio Abbatiello [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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.

Giant Reed

Scientific Name(s): Arundo donax
Abundance: plentiful
What: roots, leaves, young shoots
How: roots raw, cooked, ground into flour; leaves boiled; young shoots raw or cooked
Where: sunny wet ditches, moist areas
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: calories, minerals
Dangers: contains small amount of alkaloid gramine which is more toxic to dogs than to humans

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are elongated and lanceolate, with a length ranging from 12 to 24 inches and a width of 1 to 2 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is parallel, with prominent longitudinal veins running the length of the leaves.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are entire, providing a smooth edge.

Leaf Color: The leaves are typically green, and both the top and underside have similar coloring.

Flower Structure: The flowering structures are panicles, characterized by numerous small spikelets arranged on branches.

Flower Color: The flowers are often beige to light brown.

Fruit: The fruits are small and inconspicuous, developing within the spikelets.

Seed: Seeds are typically small and numerous, found within the spikelets.

Stem: The stems are robust, hollow, and cane-like, with a green to grayish color and a diameter ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 inches.

Hairs: The stems and leaves may lack noticeable hairs.

Height: Arundo donax is a tall grass, and its height can reach up to 20 feet or more, depending on growing conditions.

Stand of Giant Reeds. These are over seven feet tall.


Slightly closer view of Giant Reeds.


Giant reeds in later spring. The green ones are this-years growth.


Young giant reed shoot.


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.


Giant reeds look very similar to bamboo, especially towards the base. The reed is hollow like bamboo and structurally can be used in many of the same ways as bamboo though it does not have the full load-bearing strength of bamboo. Giant reeds are considered to be invasive plants and can quickly swallow any location where they get enough sun and moisture.

The roots (rhizomes) are the main edible portion of giant reeds. They contain some calories in the form of starch and even sugars, especially when still young and tender. As the roots age they become fibrous/woody. The young roots can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, or baked. They can also be dried then ground into flour.

The leaves are edible though quite bitter. Their flavor can be mellowed by boiling. A change of water during boiling usually isn't necessary except with the most bitter of leaves.

The young shoots, when available, are used like bamboo shoots and/or asparagus.


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.