Mulberry

Scientific name: Morus microphylla and other Morus species
Abundance: plentiful
What: berries (red, pink or white), young leaves, inner bark
How: berries raw, dried, jelly, wine. Young leaves in salad. Inner bark can be boiled and eaten all year.
Where: Woods, borders between woods and fields, urban landscapes
When: spring
Nutritional Value: high in vitamins C&K, minerals and some carbohydrates

Medicinal Summary: 1g of mulberry leaves have the blood sugar control powers of a standard dose of Metformin. 

Leaf Arrangement: Simple, alternate leaves along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Varied leaf shapes among species, commonly lobed or heart-shaped, with lengths ranging from 2 to 8 inches. Palmate veins are sunken on topside of the leaf and raised on the underside.

Leaf Color: Green foliage, but shades may vary.

Leaf Margin: Leaf margins can be serrated or entire. Asymmetrical lobes may be prsent on mature leaves whereas sapling leaves will have five distinct, symmetrical lobes.

Flower Structure: Small, pale flowers arranged in catkins or clusters approximately 1" long

Flower Size: Individual flowers are very small, typically less than 0.2 inches.

Fruit (Mulberries): Multiple small, juicy berries clustered together similar to blackberries, ranging from 0.5 to 1 inch in length. Colors can range from light pink to very dark purple when ripe. Immature fruit will be white to pale green.

Seed Size: Seeds within the berries are small, less than 0.2 inches.

Bark: Bark color and texture vary among species, often brown to gray and smooth on young trees, becoming rougher with age.

Height: Mulberry trees can range from 15 to 30 feet or more, depending on the species.

Mulberry flowers in mid-March in Houston.


Ripe and unripe mulberries (picture taken in late April).







Leaves all from the same Mulberry tree. They can have 0-5 lobes.


Young mullberries (picture taken in November)


Mulberry seedlings are very odd looking with leaves very differently shaped than those of mature trees.


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.


Usually preferring a bit of shade to full sun, mulberry trees are found just about anywhere trees grow in Texas though they usually like a fair amount of water. The leaves are highly variable, ranging from unlobed to five lobes and drop off in the fall, not reappearing until spring. The bark of mulberry trees is smooth and gray. The wood is strong and makes good tool handles.

Come spring, the young leaves can be collected and added to a salad. The inner bark (cambium layer) can be pounded into into fines then boiled into a rough porridge.

The immature berries are white and should not be eaten. Ripe berries can vary in color from white to dark purple. You can tell they are ripe when they come off the tree with just a slight tug. Mulberry fruit is usually ready just after blackberries ripen leading to a supply of lots of berries.

The easiest way to harvest the berries is lay a tarp or sheet under the tree and then shaking the branches. Ripe fruit will fall onto the tarp where they are easily collected.


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.

Chicken of the Woods Mushroom

Scientific Name(s): Laetiporus sulphureus
Abundance: uncommon
What: mushroom
How: cooked
Where: dead trees in the woods
When: summer
Nutritional Value: minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates
Dangers: Older, pale ones can cause stomach distress, as well as those growing on pines or eucalyptus trees

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

Growth Form: Laetiporus sulphureus typically grows in large, thick clusters on trees, logs, or stumps.

Cap Shape and Size: The individual caps are fan or shelf-shaped, measuring 2 to 12 inches across. They are bright orange to yellow in color. The orange color is often in bands.

Gills or Pores: This species does not have gills but features bright yellow pores underneath the cap.

Stipe Characteristics: Laetiporus sulphureus does not typically have a distinct stipe; the caps grow directly from the wood.

Odor: The mushroom has a mild, not distinctive odor.

Bruising: The flesh does not change color significantly upon bruising.

Spore Color: The spore print is white.

Substrate and Habitat: It is commonly found on dead/dying deciduous trees, especially oaks, and can also grow on conifers.

Other Characteristics: This mushroom is famous for its meaty texture and flavor reminiscent of chicken. It's important to note that some individuals may have allergic reactions to this species.

Clusters of chicken of the woods growing along a downed tree.


Chicken of the woods growing on dead tree roots.


Close-up of top of mushroom.


Side view of chicken of the woods.


Closer side view of mushroom.


Even closer side view after part was harvested.


Underside of can be white or yellow.


Chicken of the woods diced up and cooked in a little butter with garlic and Italian parsley.

Older, pale one like this may cause stomach upset.

Chicken of the Woods mushrooms are considered a great beginner's mushroom because there's nothing else out there that looks like this. The bright orange color is lacking in other similar-shaped shelf mushrooms. It's this color that makes it so easy to spot Chicken of the Woods in the gloomy, damp, hardwood forests it prefers. Look for them on dead or dying oak, pecans, and sweetgum trees during the warmer months. Note that even if they're going on a live tree they are killing it from the inside. You don't want to find this mushroom on a favorite tree as that tree won't be alive much longer. On the plus side, a tree producing Chicken of the Woods will continue to produce these mushrooms for years, until the tree has rotted away.

The top will have bands of "Cheeto" orange stripes while the bottom will be white or yellow in color. Chicken of the Woods don't have gills or false gills, releasing their spores via tiny tubes. The texture should be soft and flexible and moist like a raw chicken breast. As they mature they get firm and tough though the tough areas can be trimmed away. I like to dice up the mushroom into small cubes and sauté them with garlic in a touch of butter. These mushrooms can absorb a lot of butter or oil, leading to a heavy, oily flavor if too much oil is used. If you don't want to use the mushroom right away the best way to keep them is to pickle them using in a cup of vinegar + 1.5 tsp salt + 3 cups water then hot-can them like pickled okra. Additional spices can be added. Freezing these mushrooms can lead to an off flavor whereas pickling seems to hold the flavor the best.

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.

Mullein

Scientific Name(s): Verbascum thapsus
Abundance: uncommon
What: leaves, flowers
How: both leaves and flowers as tea and smoked
Where: dry, sunny areas
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: medicinal
Other Uses: dried stalks used for fire drills, leaves used as lamp wicks,
Dangers: fine hairs on leaves can be an irritant. Do not consume seeds.

Medicinal Summary:
Flowers/Leaves/Stems - improves respiratory issues and inflammations; anti-inflammatory; antimicrobial; expectorant; soothes earaches (tisane, tincture, infused oil, smoked)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in a rosette at the base in the first year, and alternately on the stem in the second year.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are oblong to lanceolate, large, and can be up to 12 inches in length and 5 inches in width at the base, becoming smaller up the stem.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a prominent central vein and several smaller veins branching out to the leaf edges.

Leaf Margin: The margins are entire, meaning they are smooth and not toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a soft, gray-green color due to a dense covering of fine hairs.

Flower Structure: The 5-pointed flowers are small and densely packed in a tall, elongated spike at the top of the stem. Each flower is about 0.5 inches in diameter.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually bright yellow.

Fruit: The plant produces a small, round capsule as its fruit.

Seed: The seeds are tiny, numerous, and brown.

Stem: The stem is sturdy, erect, and can grow up to 2 to 8 feet tall. It is also covered in fine hairs.

Hairs: The plant is characterized by a thick layer of woolly hairs on both the stems and leaves.

Height: Verbascum thapsus typically reaches a height of 2 to 8 feet.

2nd-year Mullein plants.


2nd-year Mullein gone to flowering.


1st-year Mullein plant


Close-up of flowers




Close-up of leaves


Mullein root.


Dried mullein stalk.


Close-up of dried mullein flowers/stalk.


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.


Mullein tea is made from the leaves of a 1st-year plant and is considered a good cough suppressant. A similar tea can be made from the root after cleaning, peeling, and dicing. Although the leaves feel soft and fuzzy they do not make good "wild" toilet paper as the small hairs can get stuck in your skin which is very uncomfortable.

The dried leaves were smoked to help with assorted head/chest sickness. The dried flowers have a pleasant flavor.

Avoid consuming the seeds as they contain Rotenone, a poisonous material that is particularly bad for fish and other plants.


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.

Common Stinkhorn Mushroom

Scientific Name(s): Phallus impudicus
Abundance: uncommon
What: inner part of "egg"
How: cooked
Where: woods, mulch
When: winter
Nutritional Value:
Dangers: mature ones smell really bad

Growth Form: Phallus impudicus typically emerges from an egg-like structure and grows rapidly to its full height of 4"-6" tall.

Cap Shape and Size: The cap is 1.5 to 2 inches high, with a conical head that is covered in a greenish-brown, slimy spore mass.

Gills or Pores: This species does not have traditional gills or pores; instead, the spore mass is located on the head of the cap.

Stipe Characteristics: The stipe is 3 to 5 inches tall and 1 to 1.5 inches thick, white, and hollow, with a spongy texture.

Odor: Known for its strong, unpleasant odor, often described as fetid or carrion-like.

Bruising: The flesh of the stipe is brittle and does not show significant bruising.

Spore Color: The spore print is olive-brown.

Substrate and Habitat: Commonly found in forests, yards, and other areas rich in organic matter.

Other Characteristics: Notable for its phallic shape when mature. The egg-like structure from which it emerges is white to pale yellow.  

Mature common stinkhorn mushroom.


Common stinkhorn eggs.


Close-up of common stinkhorn egg.


Common stinkhorn egg starting to "hatch".


Common stinkhorn egg cut in half. The inner spongy, off-white part is the edible section.


Very young, bisected stinkhorn egg.


Really, there's no part of the lifecycle of the common stinkhorn mushroom where it doesn't look disgusting. At best, they'll look like a cluster of mottled, alien eggs poking up through mulch. At worst, they look like the remains of a grotesque crime! And at the "crime" stage they have the added benefit of smelling very much like dog poo. And yet, people figured out they're edible. Humans have gone through some pretty hungry times!

Somewhat more common in the winter, these strange mushrooms seem to prefer growing in piles of mulch or other loose, organic matter. As mentioned above, they'll look like a cluster of red/orange/brown/gray mottled eggs poking out of the mulch. Slightly older ones will have begun to split across the top as a gray-tip...rod...begins erecting itself. As it grows a pale shaft appears beneath the gray, shrouded tip. At this point that tip-shroud will smell like dog poo. The shaft is fairly weak and so rather than sticking upright it'll sag limply over, ending up laying across the ground.

The only edible portion is the early "egg", plucked before the top begins to split and with the outer layers removed to just leave the white/cream-colored, spongy part. At this point the mushroom has a mild, almost pleasant smell. This peeled egg is then diced up and cooked with eggs or other items. Basically treat it like most other mushrooms but definitely cook it.

As far as toxic mimics go, there are other stinkhorns that burst out of eggs but none look a humanly...phallic...as Phallus impudicus. Others will be red in color or consist of four tentacle-like limbs joined at the top. All of them will stink as they use flies to spread their spores.

Stinky dog mushroom (Mutinus caninus)


Columned Stinkhorn (Clathrus columnatus)


There are both edible and poisonous mimics of the young "eggs", however.

Edible puffball mushrooms are a homogenous white color.


Poisonous Earthball mushrooms have an off-white skin around a dark center.



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.

Reishi Mushrooms

Scientific Name(s): Ganoderma curtisii, Ganoderma sessile, Ganoderma tsugae
Abundance: rare
What: mushroom
How: tea, tincture
Where: woods, pine stumps, oak trees, wood duff
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: very medicinal
Dangers: normal mushroom cautions apply

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

Ganoderma curtisii Structural Features:

Growth Form: Ganoderma curtisii typically grows as a solitary bracket or in small groups on tree trunks and stumps.

Cap Shape and Size: The cap is kidney or fan-shaped, measuring 2 to 8 inches across. It has a woody texture and is brown to reddish-brown with a varnished appearance.

Gills or Pores: This species has pores rather than gills. The pore surface is white to light brown.

Stipe Characteristics: If present, the stipe is short and lateral, with a similar color and texture to the cap.

Odor: Ganoderma curtisii typically does not have a distinctive odor.

Bruising: The flesh does not change color significantly on bruising.

Spore Color: The spore print is brown.

Substrate and Habitat: Commonly found on hardwoods, especially oaks and other deciduous trees.

Other Characteristics: The mushroom is inedible due to its tough, woody texture.

Ganoderma sessile Structural Features:

Growth Form: Ganoderma sessile typically grows solitarily or in small groups on tree trunks and stumps.

Cap Shape and Size: The cap is fan or hoof-shaped, measuring 2 to 10 inches across. It is reddish-brown to dark brown with a shiny, varnished surface.

Gills or Pores: This species has pores instead of gills. The pore surface is white to light brown.

Stipe Characteristics: Ganoderma sessile typically does not have a distinct stipe, as it grows directly from the wood.

Odor: This fungus usually does not have a notable odor.

Bruising: The flesh does not change color significantly on bruising.

Spore Color: The spore print is brown.

Substrate and Habitat: Commonly found on deciduous trees, particularly oaks and maples.

Other Characteristics: It is also recognized for its tough, woody texture, making it inedible.  

Reishi (Ganoderma sessile) mushrooms growing from an oak.


Reishi (Ganoderma sessile) mushrooms growing on a fallen tree.


Fresh topside of a Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) mushroom. The stem, if present, is always off-center making it look kind of like the saucer-section of the starship Enterprise. ;-)


Underside of the same mushroom shown above. Note it has pores instead of gills.


Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) mushrooms harvested from a dead root beneath the forest floor. These are just past the time to harvest and will not have much medicinal value. The lower, left-hand mushroom is upside down to show the bottom which has turned from white to yellowish.


Young Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) growing on an oak tree stump under a birdbath (March in Houston).


Same Reishi in early April.


Same Reishi in late April.


Same Reishi in May. The beige powder everywhere is Reishi mushroom spores.


Same Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) mushrooms in June.



The only public lands you can legally harvest mushrooms are National forests and grasslands.

Reishi mushrooms abound throughout the wooded areas of Texas. Most commonly found growing at the base of dead pine tree stumps, they will also be seen poking up through the pine needles and wood duff of forest floors. Dying hardwood trees such as oaks, sweetgums, elms and locusts are also common homes for these shiny, red mushrooms. Spores of Reishi are brown so make spore prints on white paper. These are hard, woody mushrooms. Originally from the tropics, look for them during hot weather though old, dry, unusable ones can be found all year long.

Being polypores, these mushrooms do not have any gills on their underside. Instead, the bottom of fresh Reishi mushrooms will appear white and smooth, but upon closer inspection/magnification many tiny holes/pores will be seen. This mushroom, especially when growing from the forest floor, will often be kidney-shaped with the stem located at the center of the back/non-curved edge of the mushroom. When growing directly from a dead/dying tree Reishi mushrooms will grow flush off the tree bark and be fan shaped, usually with no stem. The topside of Reishi while be a shiny red, looking as if it were coated with a varnish, while the bottom will be white. There may occasionally be layers of red or white in between the top and bottom. The stems, when present, will be the same red as the top of the Reishi.

The medicinal benefits of this mushroom are almost legendary. It contains compounds that function as anti-virals, anti-tumor and anti-cancer, antibiotics, immune system stimulants, respiratory aids, antioxidants, anti-aging and more. The traditional method to consume these mushrooms is to grind dried Reishi into a fine powder which is then used to make a tea or added to coffee. Once dried, these mushrooms are very tough and hard to grind so a good mortar and pestle are needed or a very powerful coffee grinder.

Another way to extract the medicinal properties of these mushrooms is by making an alcohol tincture. Shredded Reishi are soaked in 80-100 proof alcohol. Half-fill a jar with chopped/shredded Reishi then add enough alcohol to fill it twice as high as the Reishi. Tightly cap then vigorously shake the bottle. Shake it 1-2 times a day for six weeks then strain out any mushrooms solids. Place the filtered tincture in a colored, stoppered bottle and store in a cool, dark place. Traditionally, 3-5 drops of this tincture would be taken daily, though do not consider this medical advice.

Often the alcohol-extracted mushroom material was then be boiled in water to extract any water-soluble medicinal molecules. Starting with twice as much water (by weight) as mushrooms, this was boiled down to half. The decoction was allowed to cool, solids were strained out, and then added to an equal amount of the alcohol tincture. This gave a solution that was over 40% alcohol which was enough to preserve it. The dosage of this solution was still 3-5 drops a day.

A comprehensive review of the medicinal properties, including many scientific journal referneces, of Reishi mushrooms can found in MycoMedicinals.

The only mimic to Reishi mushrooms are Red-Belted Brackets (Fomitopsis pinicola) which are native to Europe. Being polypores, Red-Belted Brackets are non-toxic though care should always be used when trying a new mushroom. These mushrooms produce yellow spores and grow into thick, many-layered "conks".

When identifying mushrooms always cross reference them with several books to achieve the proper level of certainty. I'm not trying to sell you books, I'm trying to help you avoid a mistake.


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.