Passion Vine/Maypop

Scientific name: Passiflora incarnata
Abundance: common
What: flowers, ripe fruit, juice, leaves
How: raw, preserves, cold drink, tea
Where: sunny fields, yards, borders
When: late summer through fall until frost
Nutritional Value: Vitamin A & niacin

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - sedative (tisane)
Flowers - anti-anxiety (tisane)

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

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically palmately lobed and palmately veined, with usually three to five lobes, each lobe being ovate to triangular, measuring approximately 3 to 6 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: Palmate venation, with prominent veins running from the base to the tip of each lobe.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually medium green.

Flower Structure: Purple Passionflower produces intricate and showy flowers with a unique structure. They have five petal-like sepals, five petal-like corolla segments, and a central crown of filaments and anthers. The flowers can be up to 3 inches in diameter.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically violet-purple and have white or pinkish-purple filaments.

Fruit: The fruit is an ovoid to globose berry approximately 2" in diameter with a tough outer rind. Rind is green when young then turns yellow as it ripens.

Seed: Inside the fruit are numerous small seeds suspended in clear gel.

Stem: The stem is typically a climbing vine with tendrils for support.

Hairs: Fine hairs may be present on the stem.

Height: Passiflora incarnata can climb on other vegetation and reach varying heights.

Passion vine flower


Unripe passionvine fruit (maypop)


Inside of a passionvine fruit (maypop).


Three-lobbed passion vine leaves


Closeup of the passion vine leaf.


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.


The maypop fruit is ripe when it turns from "Kermit the Frog" green to light green to yellow-orange in color. A better indication of a ripe maypop is a somewhat wrinkly skin whereas the unripe maypop fruit will have a firm, tight feel. Upon splitting the fruit you will see numerous seeds coated in a translucent goo while the inside of the skin will have a thick layer of white pulp. Suck the goo off the seeds like you were eating a pomegranate. The white pulp inside the skin is scrapped off with a spoon and eaten. Roasted seeds of these maypops are considered to be a wonderful snack in Puerto Rico.

Wild passion vines are uncommon in Texas so refrain from harvesting many the low-nutritional value fruit unless you find a vine really covered in fruit. These vines seem to produce a lot of fruit the year after a drought.

Tea made from the dried leaves and stem of the passionvine contain alkaloids with a sedative effect on humans. This tea can be purchased over the counter as a "sleepy time" the United States. Passionvines can quickly grow to cover a large area so harvesting young leaves and stems for use in tea will help keep the vine in check. As with any medicinal tea, I don't recommend drinking it more than 2-3 cups per week. They flowers can also be used for tea but they lack the sedative effect and you also lose the fruit from that flower.


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.

Pawpaw

Scientific Name(s): Asimina triloba (spp.)
Abundance: rare
What: fruit
How: raw, jam, jelly
Where: moist, shady woods
When: late summer
Nutritional Value: protein, calories, Vit C, A, minerals K, Mg, Ca, essential amino acids.

Medicinal Summary: Anti-lice shampoo was made from crushed seeds

Leaf Arrangement: Simple, alternate leaves along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Ovate to lanceolate leaves, typically 8 to 12 inches in length. Reminds me of the sole of a sandal in shape.

Leaf Venation: Very pronounced pinnate veins. 

Leaf Color: Foliage will be green on top and lighter green to gray underneath, with a smooth texture. Crushed leaves release a strong chemical/insecticidal smell.

Leaf Margin: Intact leaf edge.

Flower Structure: Large, maroon to brown flowers, often bell-shaped, with three petals. Flower scent is similar to spoiled meat.

Flower Size: Individual flowers can be 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Fruit: Large, greenish-yellow to brownish fruit resembling a mango, typically 3 to 6 inches in length.

Seed Size: Seeds within the fruit are dark brown, smooth, and about 1 inch in length.

Bark: Smooth and brownish-gray on young trees, becoming more fissured and darker with age.

Height: Pawpaw trees typically range from 15 to 30 feet in height.

Pawpaw fruit on tree.


Close-up of Pawpaw flowers. They smell like spoiled met to attract flies as pollinators.


Almost ripe pawpaw fruit.


Small, almost ripe pawpaw.


Pawpaw seeds.


Pawpaw leaves are tropical-looking.


Pawpaw seedling. Note the alternating 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.


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


The banana-custard-like flavor/texture of pawpaw fruits leads many to consider it to be the best tasting fruit available (George Washington was a huge fan). However, once the pawpaw fruit is picked it begins to self-ferment almost immediately, making it unsuitable for shipping or selling in stores. They must be eaten right after harvesting or quickly turned into jam or jelly.

Pawpaw leaves have a sandal-like shape, being narrower a the base where it connects to the tree, widening out towards the end of the leaf, with a point at the very tip. A crushed leaf has a very strong, pungent odor, kind of like an insecticide.
 
The large pawpaw seeds actually do contain several insecticidal compounds and certain Native Americans used the powdered seeds to control lice. These seeds are still used in several over-the-counter lice treatments. It may be as simple to make as heating finely-crushed pawpaw seeds combined with baby shampoo in a crockpot at low heat for 8 hours, allowing to cool, then applying to the hair but I haven't actually tried this. If you do it, you are on your own!

The bark makes decent cordage but stripping it may often kill the tree.

The seeds should be planted right away after harvesting as they dry out and die otherwise. Pawpaws are NOT self-fertile so you need at least two separate trees and three is better, ideally grown from seeds from unrelated trees. The flowers pre-date bees and are pollinated by flies, instead.  Growers have been known to hang bits of raw meat up in the trees when flowers appear to attract flies as the meat rots.


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.

Pecan

Scientific name: Carya illinoinensis
Abundance: plentiful
What: nuts
How: raw, cooked
Where: pecan trees
When: fall
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates and protein

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate arrangement of compound leaves.

Leaf Shape: Odd-pinnate compound leaves with typically 9 to 17 leaflets.

Leaf Size: Individual leaflets are usually 2 to 6 inches in length, depending on location along the petile.

Leaf Color: Green foliage, with variations in shades.

Leaf Margin: Serrated leaflet margins.

Vein Patterns: Pinnate venation pattern on each leaflet. Center vein may not be perfectly centered on leaflet.

Flower Structure: Inconspicuous, appearing as long, drooping catkins.

Flower Color: Male catkins are yellow-green, while female flowers are reddish.

Fruit (Pecans): Large, brownish, football-shaped seeds (nuts), with lengths ranging from 1 to 2 inches, encased in a thick green husk. Husk usually splits open along four long seams to reveal a mottled, brown-shelled nut.

Seed Size: Pecans are typically 1 to 2 inches in length.

Bark: Gray to brown, with peeling, deep furrows and ridges as the tree matures.

Pecan nut


Ripe pecan nuts on tree.


Almost-ripe pecans (picture taken early August in East Texas).


Pecan tree.


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.



What truly needs to be said about pecans in Texas?
Best. Wild. Food. Ever!


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.

Peppergrass

Scientific name: Lepidium species
Abundance: common
What: seeds, young leaves
How: seeds raw, leaves raw or cooked
Where: sunny disturbed areas
When: early spring through late winter
Nutritional Value: minerals
Danger: Pennycresses are hyperaccumulators of minerals. If the soil is contaminated with toxic metals these plants will suck them up.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Lepidium species are typically arranged alternately along the stem, with a rosette at the base.

Leaf Shape: The leaves vary in shape but are often oblong to lanceolate. Basal leaves can be more rounded or lobed, while stem leaves are usually smaller and less divided.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein and smaller side veins.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaves can be entire (smooth), toothed, or lobed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually a bright to dark green.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and typically arranged in loose clusters spiraling up the top of stems. Each flower has four petals, often arranged in a cross shape.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually white, sometimes with a hint of yellow or green.

Fruit: The plant produces small, round to oval seed pods, often notched at the tip.

Seed: The seeds are tiny, reddish-brown to black, and found inside the pods.

Stem: The stem is slender, branched, and can be smooth or sparsely hairy.

Hairs: Some species may have fine hairs on the stem and leaves.

Height: Lepidium species vary in height but typically range from 6 inches to 2 feet.

Peppergrass plant.


One peppergrass plant. It has a distinctive silhouette.


Close-up picture of the plant.


Close-up of seed pods.


Even closer close-up of seed pods.


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.


North America has over 100 different species of Lepidium and Texas has 23. They are all very similar in appearance and edibility. The seeds have a spicy/peppery taste similar to radishes. I usually just bite the young, green seed-stalks off the plant. The young leaves also have the horse-radishy taste but by the time the seeds appear the leaves have become to power-tasting for most people to eat. The young, tender seed pods also add a bit of a kick to salads.

I like adding them raw to sandwiches or blending them into mayonnaise to make an interesting horseradish-like sauce.   

These plants seem to thrive in waste areas. I see them growing along all the major roads and freeways in Houston. They even grow out of the cracks in the concrete barriers at the toll road toll booths starting in late winter (February) into early summer (May-June). Their shape is distinctive, look for a single stalk that branches out into multiple, "bumpy" stalks.



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.

Peppervine

Scientific name: Ampelopsis arborea
Abundance: common
What: ripe berries (black)
How: cooked, wine
Where: woods, borders
When: late summer, fall
Nutritional Value: low in carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins
Dangers: Berries contain crystals of calcium oxalate which must be removed before consuming.

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

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically compound with 3-5 leaflets with each lobe being ovate to elliptical. Entire leaf may be approximately 3 to 5 inches in length, with each leaflet being about 1/2" across.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate venation, with veins running from the base to the valley of each leaflet serration.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green.

Flower Structure: Peppervine produces small, inconspicuous flowers that are arranged in clusters.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically greenish-white or yellowish-green.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, spherical berry-like structure with a diameter of approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The berries start out white/yellowish, turning to pink with red/purple spots, and then finally turning dark purple/black when ripe.

Seed: Inside the fruit are small seeds.

Stem: The stem is typically climbing or trailing, often with tendrils for support.

Hairs: Fine hairs may be present on the leaves.

Height: Peppervine is a climbing vine and can reach varying heights depending on its support structure.

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.


Peppervine is a summertime vine that loves hot weather though the berries don't appear until close to the start of the school year. These vines prefer full sun to partial shade so look for them along fences in your neighborhood and climbing over bushes at the edges of woods. Soil type doesn't seem to matter.

The sweet, grape-flavored berries are ripe when they are black. Leave the spotted pink and purple berries to ripen more. Though delicious, most people get a weird tickle in the back of their throat after eating one or more berries. This tickle is actually due to tiny needles of calcium oxalate which are defensive measure of the Peppervine. Excessive consumption of calcium oxalate will result in chemical burns in your throat.

Luckily, calcium oxalate isn't very water soluble and easy to separate from the berries' juice. My preferred method is to squeeze the berries through cheesecloth, collecting the juice and discarding any solids left in the cheesecloth. Now add one ounce of tap water to every nine ounces of juice and place this solution in a see-through pitcher or bottle in your refrigerator. Let it sit overnight which causes the needles of calcium oxalate to settle down to the bottom of the container. Carefully pour off the liquid while avoiding stirring up and re-adding the calcium oxalate back into the solution. Pouring it through a coffee filter will help remove the crystals. It's best to err on the side of caution and leave behind juice rather than get some of the calcium oxalate.

Once you've operated out the calcium oxalate you can use this juice like grape juice. Drink it, jelly/jam it, or even make wine from it!

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.

Persimmon - Texas

Scientific Name(s): Diospyros texana
Abundance: plentiful
What: fruit
How: raw, jams, jelly, candied, tarts
Where: fields, sunny edges of woods, arid areas
When: late summer, fall
Nutritional Value: fiber, Vit C, B, minerals, anti-oxidants, flavonoids.

Leaf Arrangement: Simple, alternate leaves along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Ovate to elliptical leaves, typically 1 inch in length with rounded tip.

Leaf Color: Dark green foliage, sometimes with a glossy appearance.

Leaf Margin: Entire leaf margins without serrations.

Vein Patterns: Pinnate venation pattern on each leaf.

Flower Structure: Inconspicuous, small flowers, often greenish-white in color.

Flower Size: Individual flowers are typically less than 0.5 inches.

Fruit: Small, blackish-purple fruit resembling berries, around 1 inch in diameter. Somewhat tough skin with a juicy, dark interior. The flesh produces a dark juice which is very staining. The fruit have a 5-pointed "crown" on their top with a stem rising up from the center to attach to the tree.

Seed: Seeds within the fruit are small, typically less than 0.5 inches shaped something like a large watermelon seed.. 1-3 seeds may be present.

Bark: Smooth light and dark gray, with some strips of bark peeling away from the trunk.

Hairs: Underside of leaves may have fine hairs.

Texas persimmon fruit, both ripe (black) and unripe (green).


Close-ups of Texas persimmon fruit.




Texas persimmon seeds.


Texas persimmon seeds in animal scats (probably raccoon).




Texas persimmon shrub/tree.


Close-up of Texas persimmon leaves.


Texas persimmon trunk, next to an oak tree which shades it.


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.


The Texas Persimmon tree is mainly found in Central and Southern Texas. Once can not walk far in the Texas Hill Country without coming across the gnarled, grey shrub with grey, peeling bark. I personally love the looks of the Texas persimmon. It is generally very short, rarely over eight feet tall. They prefer to grow in partially shaded areas, such as under an oak. Most herbivore and omnivore wild animals love the ripe persimmons and I often am alerted to the trees' presence in a near area by first seeing pig scat loaded with persimmon seeds.

Persimmons aren't sweet enough to eat until they are very dark purple-black in color and already falling off the tree. The seeds are very easy to sprout, resulting in numerous persimmon trees in the same area. Like the Virginian persimmon, Texas persimmons are not self-fertile and require both male and female trees to be present for the female tree to produce fruit.

Virginian Persimmons have both male and female trees and both need to be present for fruit. Only the females produce fruit but male trees must be present to fertilize her flowers.


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.