Sweet Clover

Scientific Name(s): Melilotus officinalis
Abundance: common
What: flowers, seeds, leaves
How: flowers in tea, seeds raw or roasted then ground into flour, leaves in salads or cooked
Where: Neglected areas, fields, yards
When: late winter through summer
Nutritional Value: starch in the seeds, protein in the leaves

Dangers: The leaves contain the potent blood anticoagulant agent coumarin. Do not consume this plant if you're already on blood thinner medication.

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are trifoliate, meaning each leaf is composed of three leaflets. The leaflets are oblong to elliptical in shape.

Venation: This plant features pinnate venation, where each leaflet has a central vein with smaller veins branching out to the sides.

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

Leaf Color: The leaves are a light green to greenish-yellow color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and arranged in elongated, narrow clusters or racemes, about 1"-1.5" long. Each flower is typical of the pea family, with a standard, wings, and keel.

Flower Color: The flowers are yellow or white, but all the flowers on a single plant will be the same color.

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

Seeds: Seeds are small, yellowish-brown, plentiful, and smooth.

Stem: The stems are erect, branching, and can be slightly hairy.

Hairs: There can be fine hairs on the stems and leaves, but they are generally not prominently hairy.

Height: Yellow sweet clover typically grows to a height of 2 to 5 feet.

Sweet Clover plant.




Close-up of Sweet Clover leaves.


Close-up of Sweet Clover leaf top.


Close-up of Sweet Clover leaf bottom.


Sweet Clover flowers.




Close-up of Sweet Clover flowers.


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.



Sweet Clover have the same three-leaf shape as regular clover but the plant itself grows upright to over a two feet tall. Its young leaves can be eaten raw but can be slightly tough. The yellow flowers can be used to make a sweet clover tea. These flowers eventually form individual seedpods each containing one seed. These seeds can be eaten raw or roasted then ground into flour. Like most seeds they can also be boiled into a porridge or gruel.

Like other clovers, hops clover can fix atmospheric nitrogen, turning it into a form usable by other plants. For this reason it is a good "weed" to let grow in your garden as it will fertilize nearby plants.

Medicinal Summary:
Flowers/Leaves - blood thinner; would healer (tisane)

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.



Buy my book! Idiots Guide 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 - White

Scientific name: Trifolium repens L.
Abundance: common
What: leaves, flowers, root
How: leaves-raw or cooked before flowers appear; flowers-raw, cooked, dried for tea or flour, also smoked; root-dried then cooked
Where: lawns, fields
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: protein
Danger: soon after picking white clover can form dangerous cyanide.

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate; each leaf consists of three oval leaflets, each leaflet measuring about 0.5 to 1.5 inches long.

Leaf Shape: Oval to egg-shaped leaflets with a slightly pointed tip.

Venation: Pinnate, with a visible central vein on each leaflet.

Margin: Smooth and entire.

Leaf Color: Bright green, sometimes with a lighter or white crescent shape or V mark on each leaflet.

Flower Structure: Clustered small flowers forming a round or oval head, each flower head measuring about 0.5 to 1 inch in diameter.

Flower Color: Flowers are white.

Fruit: A small pod, typically hidden within the calyx of the flower.

Seeds: Each pod contains 1 to 4 seeds, tiny and yellow to orange-brown in color.

Stem: Creeping, slender, and branched, rooting at the nodes.

Hairs: Generally hairless, occasionally with sparse, fine hairs along edges of leaflets.

Height: Spreads along the ground, rarely exceeding 6 inches in height.

A patch of White Clover.


Close-up of leaves and flower.


Very close-up of White Clover flower.


Clover leaves (right) are rounded while Wood Sorrel leaves (left) are heart-shaped.


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 homeowners wage chemical warfare on patches of white clover in their grass without ever realizing that this plant not only produces nitrogen necessary for healthy grass, it's also delicious and nutritious! Both fresh or dried clover flowers can seeped in hot water to make a fantastic, naturally sweet tea. The leaves and roots can be added to stews, soups and other simmered dishes for a boost of protein. I like adding it to tomato-based sauces whose acidity helps break down and "pre-digest" the protein, making it easier for human stomachs to digest it.

The flowers and leaves must be used either within 30 minutes after picking or left to dry for 4-6 weeks. Soon after being picked the plant starts producing cyanide compounds and in an hour or less they can become dangerous to eat. If left to dry for 4-6 weeks these cyanides will disappear. For this reason one should NOT include clover when making sauerkraut, kimchi, or other fermented greens as the fermentation process doesn't interfere with the production of cyanide.

Dried white clover flowers make a very pleasant tasting herbal smoke.


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.

Corn Salad

Scientific Name(s): Valerianella olitoria, V. locusta, & other Vealerianella species
Abundance: rare
What: leaves
How: raw or cooked when young before flowers appear
Where: moist shaded yards, borders, and woods
When: fall, winter (in Houston), spring
Nutritional Value: Vitamins A,Bs,C
Dangers: Beware the inedible, similar-looking Cudweed.

Leaf Arrangement: Forms a basal rosette.

Leaf Shape:  Club-shaped (oblanceolate to spatulate) with a broader base narrowing towards the tip. 

Venation: Pinnate, with a central vein more pronounced than the lateral ones.

Margin: Entire, with smooth edges.

Leaf Color: Dark green, with a slightly glossy appearance.

Flower Structure: Tiny flowers grouped in loose cymes at the top of the stem.

Flower Color: Pale blue to white, sometimes with a hint of pink.

Fruit: A small, dry nutlet, less than 1/8" in diameter, slightly lobed.

Seeds: Typically one seed per fruit, small and enclosed within the nutlet.

Stem: Grows in a fractal pattern - one stem coming out of the ground which branches into two stems, and each of those may branch into another two, and each of those may branch again into two before ending with the flowers at the tips.

Hairs: Generally lacks hairs, presenting a smooth surface.

Plant Height: Ranges from 6 to 20 inches in height.

Young corn salad, ready for picking.


Mature Corn Salad (doesn't taste good at this point)


Close-up of Corn Salad flowers


Close-up of the Corn Salad stem. Note how the stem leaves encircle the stem itself.


Texas distribution, attributed to U.S. Department of Agriculture.



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

I have found it in Harris & Montgomery counties as well as assorted places in East Texas, from Dallas to the Louisiana border.

Quickly sprouting up in late spring, Corn salad appears in sandy, shaded soil. It's delicate club-shaped leaves grow in an alternating opposite arrangement and that is when you want to eat it. In just a few weeks the plant's single stem will split into two stalks and then each of those will split into two more. Where the stem splits the leaves fuse into a single, pointy leaf surrounding the stem. At the top of the stalks a small cluster of white flowers appear, followed quickly by it going to seed. This plant grows and dies in just a few weeks.

Corn salad is not native to North America but came over with French settlers. It is a common, domestic salad vegetable in France. It has escape French gardens and can now be found in growing in thin stands in sandy, well-drained soil but needs a fair amount of moisture.

Be careful not to mistake Cudweed (Pseudognaphalium species) for Corn Salad. Picture below is the inedible (but medicinal and smokable) Cudweed. Note it has many more leaves than corn salad and the underside of the leaves are gray.



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.

Cudweed

Scientific Name(s): Gnaphalium, Pseudognaphalium, and Gamochaeta species
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, stem
How: tea, smoked
Where: yards, fields, disturbed areas
When: fall, winter, spring
Nutritional Value: medicinal
Dangers: do not eat, only smoked or drank as tea

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stem/Flowers* - improves breathing during congestion, emphysema, and asthma (tisane, smoked)
*plant should be allowed to die and dry in the ground to develop medicinal properties

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate, with leaves spaced along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Lanceolate to oblong or spatulate, usually between 1 to 3 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate, with a central midvein and less prominent side veins.

Leaf Margin: Entire, meaning the edges are smooth and without teeth or serrations.

Leaf Color: Green to gray-green, on top but always a silvery or woolly appearance underneath due to fine, dense hairs.

Flower Structure: Composed of small, clustered heads with each head containing several tiny, tubular flowers.

Flower Color: Typically white, cream, or yellow, depending on the species.

Fruit: Small, dry, one-seeded, encased in a papery involucre.

Seeds: Equipped with a pappus, which is a tuft of hair-like structures aiding in wind dispersal.

Stem: Erect, sometimes branched, covered in dense hairs, and ranging in height from a few inches to over a foot.

Hairs: Dense and woolly, giving the plant a soft, fuzzy texture.

Height: Varies widely by species, typically ranging from a few inches to over a foot tall.

Grey-colored cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) are considered the best medicine of the common yard weed.


Mature cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum)going to flower.


Close-up of cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) stem. Note the fuzzy stem and alternating leaves.


Close-up of cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) flowers.


Close-up of cudweed (Gnaphalium spicatum) fluffy seeds.


Another common cudweed (Gnaphalicum spicatum) is green on top with whiteish-grey undersides.


Cudweed (Gnaphalicum spicatum) going to flower.


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 yards and disturbed areas end up filled with cud weeds come the cool months in Texas. The tops of cudweed leaves can be either green or grey depending on the species but the undersides are always white-grey. They start out as a rosette but then one or more stems grows either upwards or outwards from the taproot. Cudweeds have alternating leaves with a pinnate vein structure. Stems are fuzzy and so are the leaves. When mature, the tips of the stems turn even fuzzier, reminding me of Q-Tips due to the furry nature of their tiny flowers.

Cudweeds are NOT eaten. The only recorded ways they were used was as a tea or smoked. One of its common names is "Rabbit Tobacco". Both the tea and smoke were used to treat problems breathing, especially from colds and other lung issues. The tea also helps some with coughs. While it was mainly smoked for its medicinal effects, the flavor is mild and pleasant enough that it was also smoked for pleasure. The usual Native American technique for smoking was to hold the smoke in their mouths rather than drawing it into their lungs. Be aware that pulling out a baggie of dried leaves and lighting up in public may draw unwanted attention so be smart if you're going to smoke this.


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.

Curled Dock, Yellow Dock

Scientific name: Rumex crispus
Abundance: plentiful
What: very young leaves, seeds
How: leaves may be eaten raw; roast seeds or grind seeds into flour
Where: fields, disturbed areas, stream and pond banks
When: summer, fall, winter, spring
Nutritional Value: leaves are high in vitamin A&C, minerals, protein; roots high in iron and other minerals
Dangers: contains small amounts of oxalic acid, limit intake to what you'd normally eat of spinach

Medicinal Summary:
Root* - laxative; appetite stimulant; antibiotic, antifungal; antidiabetic type II (poultice, tisane, tincture)
*root must be allowed to dry 8 months to 1 year for medicinal properties to develop

Leaf Arrangement: Basal rosette with a few alternate leaves higher on the stem.

Leaf Shape: Lanceolate to oblong, with a distinctive wavy or curled margin, typically 4 to 10 inches long. Edges of youngest leaves will be curled inwards towards the center of the leaf.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate, with a central midvein and several branching side veins.

Leaf Margin: Curled or wavy, giving the species its common name.

Leaf Color: Green to dark green, with reddish veins on occasion.

Flower Structure: Small, grouped in whorls along elongated, upright flowering stalks.

Flower Color: Greenish to reddish-brown, not particularly showy.

Fruit: A small, triangular, winged achene.

Seeds: Enclosed within the fruit, typically brown, and triangular in shape.

Stem: Erect, often reddish, and can grow 2 to 4 feet tall.

Hairs: Generally smooth, without significant hairiness.

Height: Typically ranges from 2 to 4 feet in height.

Young leaves are edible raw at this point.


Remove the ribs from ones this age before eating the leaves raw.




Probably need boiling now.


Dock plant.




Curled Dock root.


Mature curled dock seedheads (early summer) have a distinct "rust" color.






Close-up of curled dock 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.


Dock is a rich source of vitamins and minerals and the leaves, though tangy in flavor, taste mild enough to eat young leaves raw up until the flower spikes appear. After that but it can become tough and somewhat bland. Steaming, boiling or sautéing improves the texture of large, mature leaves. Mix it with milder greens to cut the flavor more. My Polish friend raves about creamy dock soup from the old country. Her version takes a lot of work, mine involves just dicing up young dock leaves (about 1/2 cup) and tossing them in a can of cream of mushroom soup. Add crumbed bacon and diced potatoes to really jazz it up!

The papery sheath holding the seeds is hard to remove so it is usually just left on the seeds, though be warned consuming large quantities of the sheath fiber will do wonders (not all good) to you digestive output. Imagine eating a really, really big bran muffin...topped with Ex-Lax. To remove this outer shell, toast the seeds to make the shell brittle, then "grind" them between the palms of your hands to shatter the shell off the seeds. Take this shell/seed mixture and go outside during a light wind and pour the mix back and forth between two bowls, allowing the wind to blow away the lighter shell material. This is called winnowing.

The seeds can be roasted then eaten as a snack or ground into flour, boiled into porridge, added to bread, etc... Really, their use is limited only by your imagination! My favorite way is to mix them with cream cheese and slap it on a Ritz-style cracker. They add a nutty, quinoa type flavor to soups and stews.

Tea made from dried roots of curled dock has been used medicinally as an anti-cancer agent though little research supports this use. The roots' antibacterial and antifungal properties are well documented, as both a wash or applied as a poultice. Mashed-up fresh roots were used to treat minor skin issues such as scraps, rashes, and abrasions. It has anti-inflammatory powers when taken internally. I personally use a vodka-based tincture of chopped curled dock root as a "bitters" for mixed drinks. Woo hoo!



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.