Trifoliate Orange/Bitter Orange/Hardy Orange

Scientific name: Poncirus trifoliat
Abundance: plentiful
What: Mature fruit
How: juice and zest as seasoning and as a lemonade replacement
Where: partially shady woods
When: late fall
Nutritional Value: Vitamin C
Other uses: The the twisted and intertwined branches covered in sharp 2" long spines make this a great security hedge. This tree is used as a root-stock for grafting other citrus fruits.

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

Leaf Shape: Leaves are trifoliate (compound with three leaflets), each leaflet measuring approximately 1 to 2 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: The leaflets have prominent veins.

Leaf Margin: Leaflet margins are serrated, featuring small teeth.

Flower Structure: Hardy orange produces fragrant, white flowers, typically around 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, bumpy, and rough-skinned citrus resembling a small orange. The diameter of the fruit can range from 1.5 to 2.5 inches.

Bark: The bark is often thorny, with sharp, stout spines.

Height: Hardy orange plants can grow to be 8 to 12 feet tall.

Hairs: The leaves and stems are typically smooth without noticeable hairs.

Thorns: The plant is often characterized by thorns or spines on the branches.

Color of Flowers: The flowers are generally white.

Color of Fruit: The fruit turns from green to yellow as it ripens, resembling a small, wrinkled orange.

Unripe trifoliate oranges.


Full-sized, though not yet ripe fruit.


Ripe fruit (December, near Houston).




Ripe fruit cut in half. Note all the seeds and lack of flesh.


Close-up of flowers.


Trifolate orange leaves. Note the three (tri) leaves (foliate) on each stem.


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.


These thorny trees look out of place in Texas and rightly so since they aren't native. However, their root stock is resistant to many common citrus diseases and so most citrus fruit sold in Texas is actually grafted on to this rootstock. Sometimes the rootstock will grow a "sucker" that eventually gets large enough to produce the original, bitter, tiny oranges of this species. The seeds are easily germinated, resulting in this tree spreading through Texas woods. It loses its leaves in the fall resulting in a deep green, thorny beast covered in small, yellow-orange fruit.

The golf ball sized fruit of this tree ripens in the fall about the time the tree loses its leaves. This fruit is extremely sour so only a little bit is needed for flavoring. There is no edible flesh inside the fruit, just a large number of seeds. For maximum amount of juice, let it sit for two weeks after picking before squeezing.The skin can be used to make a zest for cooking and cocktail garnish.


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.

Turk's Cap

Scientific name: Malvaviscus arboreus
Abundance: common
What: flowers, fruit, young leaves
How: Flowers and young leaves raw or cooked; flowers can make pink lemonade type drink; fruit can be made into tea or preserves.
Where: shady areas, often used in landscaping
When: Flowers can appear all year long if warm enough.
Nutritional Value: Flowers high in antioxidants; seeds are high in protein & starch; leaves high in minerals; fruit high in vitamin C

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are generally ovate to lanceolate, with a length ranging from 3 to 6 inches and a width of 2 to 4 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is palmate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are typically serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The upper surface of the leaves is dark green, while the underside may have a lighter green color. Young leaves will be a lighter green, turning darker green as the mature.

Flower Structure: The flowers are unique, with a distinctive tubular shape resembling a Turkish fez or cap. The diameter of the flower can range from 1 to 2 inches. Each flower has five fused petals, forming the cap-like structure.

Flower Color: The flowers come in various colors, including shades of red, pink, or white.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, round capsule resembling a slightly flattened apple. The fruit easily splits along very faint seams.

Seed: Seeds are small, brown, and found within the "apples" one per segment.

Stem: The stems are generally upright and may have a reddish or green color when young and brown when older.

Hairs: The stems and leaves are covered in fine, upright hairs giving them a fuzzy texture.

Height: Turk's Cap plants typically range in height from 3 to 8 feet, depending on growing conditions and variety.

Young turk's cap leaves in the spring.




Turk's Cap shrub/bush in the summer and already flowering.


Close-up of Turk's Cap flower.


Close-up of Turk's cap flower.


Close-up of fruit.




Pancakes with Turk's Cap flowers are delicious!


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.


It's hard to miss Turk's Cap shrubs in the summer. Their multitude of bright read, uniquely-shaped flowers set against dark green foliage draw not just the human eye but also many butterflies and hummingbirds. These native mallows, related to hibiscus, okra, and cotton thrive across Texas due to their ability to handle shade or sun, wet or dry soil, heavy clay or sandy ground, though they prefer well drained soil with only partial sun exposure. In full sun they stay closer to the grown and spread out to end up looking "leggy". In ideal conditions of partial sun and well drained but moist soil they grow into thick, beautiful shrubs five to six feet tall. With fall's cool weather Turk's Cap loses its leaves and remains bare through the winter. Come spring light green, velvety leaves appear which grow larger, darker green, and rough in texture. By late spring/early summer the strange, rolled flowers appear with the single "antenna" sticking out the center. These flowers eventually give way to small, dark-red fruit at the end of summer.

Turk's Cap are a wonderful source of foods. The young, tender leaves can be used like spinach but cook them to soften their texture. Steaming, sautéing, boiling, or stir-frying are all good ways to cook these leaves. Actually, boiling is a terrible way to cook just about any leafy green but so be it.

The flowers are also wonderful raw, tasting like honeysuckle. The flowers are loaded with nectar at mid-morning and again in mid-afternoon. Watch the hummingbirds, they'll often swarm the plant when the flowers are at their sweetest. These flowers can also be used either fresh or dried to make tea.

The fruit is ripe when it is dark reddish-orange with no white skin present. These fruit taste like apples but with very little tartness, mainly just a light sweetness. They and their seeds can be eaten raw though the seeds are better if lightly toasted. The berries can also be made into jelly, jam, wine, or dehydrated.

While not edible, the bark (both inner and outer) can be used to make a decent cordage. Stripping the bark will usually kill the plant so save this for emergency situations.


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.

Violet

Scientific name: Viola species
Abundance: uncommon
What: Leaves, flowers
How: Leaves and flowers raw (great in salads), tea from flowers
Where: small, heart-shaped flowers in shady, moist areas
When: Winter (in Houston), Spring, early summer
Nutritional Value: very rich in vitamin A,C
Nutritional Value: Violets contain the chemical Violine which, in VERY large doses, can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Medicinal Summary:
Roots/Leaves/Flowers - expectorant; mild laxative; wound healer; soothes upper respiratory and skin inflammations; reduces blood sugar (poultice, tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Each leaf is directly connected to underground tuber.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically heart-shaped (cordate) to kidney-shaped (reniform), with a varying size range.

Leaf Venation: Palmate venation, with multiple, large veins branching out from the base of the leaf to points along its edge. Smaller, secondary veins branch out from the larger veins.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin can be entire or toothed, depending on the species.

Leaf Color: Leaf color varies but is often green with varying shades.

Flower Structure: Five-petaled flowers with a distinctive lower petal (spur), usually solitary on a long stem. Flowers are approximately 1" in diameter across their widest spread.

Flower Color: Flower colors can vary widely among species, including shades of purple, blue, pink, and white. Stripes of color may be present.

Fruit: The fruit is a capsule containing small seeds.

Seed: Small seeds are contained within the capsules.

Stem: A true stem is nonexistent. Each leaf stem passed separately down through the soil to an underground, segmented tuber. 

Hairs: Fine hairs may be present on some species but are not a prominent feature.

Height: Wild Viola species vary in height, typically ranging from a few inches to about a foot.

Wild violet plant.



Wild violet seed pods.


Close-up of wild violet flower.

Wild violet leaves and tubers.

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.


Wild violets are a wonderful winter/spring nibble and if you're lucky, summer and fall, too! They prefer cool, damp areas of woods during the summer but during the winter they can be found in sunnier locations including yards. The heart-shaped leaves grow in a rosette form from an underground tuber and the leaf stems usually enter the soil individually. The violet flowers have five petals with the lowest petal being significantly thicker than the other petals. Only only flower forms per flower stalk. The "seed pods" hang down from individual stalks and kind of have the appearance of purple/brown bell peppers.

The leaves and flowers of wild violets are loaded with vitamin A & C which help keep many an Appalachian child nourished. The leaves and flowers are eaten raw or mixed in any sort of salad or green smoothie.

A reader of this blog wrote me of a bad experience after eating a bunch of wild violets sautéed with butter and garlic. Later that night she was struck by horrible stomach distress and spent the night in the bathroom. This issue had never come up in my experience or in any reference books I own. Further research turned up a record in an old Indian (Asian subcontinent) herbal book that the violet compound "violine" is an emeto-cathartic (makes you purge from both ends!) in large doses. The fact that this isn't mentioned anywhere else suggests it is an extremely rare issue and not one I'm concerned about when eating reasonable amounts of violets.


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.

Water Hyacinth

Scientific name: Eichhornia crassipes
Abundance: invasive
What: young leaves, stems, bottom "flotation pods"
How: boiled, fried
Where: marshes, water
When: all year
Nutritional Value: Vitamin A
Dangers: Raw and cooked plants may cause itchiness in some people. Also, these plants collect and concentrate any toxin/pollutants in the water, so only collect them from areas of know high water quality. Water hyacinth is very prolific and invasive which has resulted in many places outlawing its transport. This means you might get arrested for taking some home to eat. Water hyacinths are a free floating plant that can be very invasive.

Leaf Arrangement: Rosette formation at the plant's center, with leaves emerging in a circular pattern.

Leaf Shape: Broadly ovate to rounded, typically 4 to 8 inches in diameter.

Leaf Venation: Veins radiate from the leaf base, visible and prominent.

Leaf Margin: The margins are wavy or crinkled, and entire.

Leaf Color: Bright green, often with a glossy surface.

Flower Structure: Flowers are borne on a spike, each with six petals and showy, distinctively arranged. Flower diameter is about 3".

Flower Color: Lavender to purple, with a yellow patch on the uppermost petal.

Fruit: The fruit is a three-celled capsule, but it is rarely seen as reproduction is mainly vegetative.

Seed: Seeds are small and numerous, though infrequently produced.

Stem: Short, thick, spongy stems that support the floating rosette.

Hairs: There are no hairs on the leaves or stems; surfaces are smooth.

Height: The plant floats on the water surface, with leaves and flowers rising a few inches to a foot above the water.  

Water hyacinths floating in a lake.


Cluster of water hyacinths.




Closeup of water hyacinth air bladders.


Full plant removed from the water.


Closeup of water hyacinth flowers.




More pictures of water hyacinths.




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.


Sadly, the invasive Water Hyacinths are choking Texas waterways. They quickly reproduce from just a small bit of root, easily covering entire lakes in a few months. Imported from Asia as a decorative plant due to their beautiful flowers, these floating, bulbous plants are an ecological nightmare. Due to their incredible ease and speed of reproduction, it is illegal to transport Water Hyacinths even if your plan is to eat it.

In Asian countries the "heart" of the Water Hyacinth is cooked up and used in a manner like artichoke hearts. They must be cooked to kill any waterborne, infectious microbes. To prepare, cut away the leaves, flowers, and fine roots from the core of the water Hyacinth. Boil this heart or thinly slice it for use in a stir-fry dish.


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.

Water Plantain

Scientific name: Alisma plantago
Abundance: uncommon
What: rootstock, young leaves
How: boiled, roasted
Where: sunny water
When: roots - winter, spring, early summer
Other uses: carbohydrates
Dangers: Must be cooked to be edible otherwise it is too bitter and somewhat toxic.

Water plantain in pond.


Water plantain along edge of stream.


Water plantain 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.


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.


Quickly appearing in just about any shallow water, from streams and lakes to roadside ditches, the somewhat spearhead-shaped, palmately-veined leaves of Water Plantains are easy to spot. The white, three petaled flowers on a stalk add a certain beauty, in my eyes. They are very common across Easy, Central, and the Gulf Coast regions of Texas but more rare in the drier West Texas lands.

The thicker roots contain starch which becomes edible/digestible after boiling or roasting. They are quite bitter so often boiling THEN roasting is the recommended way of preparing them.


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.