Hoary Bowlesia

Scientific Name(s): Bowlesia incana
Abundance: common
What: leaves
How: raw
Where: moist, disturbed areas, yards, fields
When: winter, spring
Nutritional Value: assorted vitamins
Dangers: beware the mimic creeping buttercup

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are orbicular to kidney-shaped, often measuring about 0.5 to 2 inches in diameter.

Leaf Venation: Venation is palmate, with several major veins radiating from a central point.

Leaf Margin: The margins are scalloped or shallowly lobed.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a light green, sometimes with a grayish tinge due to the presence of fine hairs.

Flower Structure: Flowers are small and inconspicuous, borne in leaf axils or at the stem tips.

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

Fruit: The fruit is a small, dry capsule.

Seed: Seeds are tiny, enclosed within the capsule.

Stem: Stems are thin, branching, and can be either erect or decumbent (spreading along the ground).

Hairs: The plant is characterized by its dense, fine, white hairs, giving it a grayish or whitish appearance, hence the name "incana." Hairs on stems grow in star-like clusters.

Height: The plant typically grows to a height of about 6 to 12 inches.

Hoary bowlesia growing in a bed of landscaping pebbles.

Close-up of leaves. Note the five major leaf lobes.

Hoary bowlesia grows in a rosette pattern with all the stems originating from a central point.

This weed begins appearing in winter and continues on into spring. It thrives along sidewalks and other urban environments.

Close-up of horay bowlesia's tiny flowers.  Note the hairiness of the 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.

Hoary bowlesia is one of those native "weeds" that many people see but few know. Its light-green, five-lobed, hairy leaves begin popping up along sidewalks and in yards after several cool, winter rains. In many ways it resembles the toxic creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) which also grows in similar locations and time but the creeping buttercup has smooth, hair-free leaves whereas hoary bowlesia is covered in fine hairs.

If you think the leaves resemble cilantro somewhat you have a good eye. Both cilantro and hoary bowlesia are members of the Apiaceae family aka the carrot family and the leaves do have a flavor somewhat like mild cilantro. These leaves can be used raw as a salad green or seasoning or cooked as a traditional pot herb. This is a plant who's flavor will depend a great deal on your own major taste buds and the specific plant compounds that register the most strongly. If you're the type of person who really dislikes cilantro I still recommend giving hoary bowlesia a small test-nibble. I haven't heard of any reports of it containing the soap-like molecules that some people find disagreeable so you may like it.

Young, toxic Creeping Buttercup. The leaf shape is similar but these leaves are hairless.


Mature, toxic Creeping Buttercup produces yellow 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.

Horseweed

Scientific Name(s): Conyza canadensis
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, seedlings
How: leaves dried or fresh, seasoning; seedlings boiled
Where: fields, borders, disturbed soil
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: protein, calcium, zinc
Dangers: contact may cause skin rash in a small number of people.

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are lanceolate to oblong, measuring about 1 to 4 inches in length and 0.1 to 0.5 inches in width.

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

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are entire or slightly toothed.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a dull green, sometimes with a slightly paler underside.

Flower Structure: The plant produces numerous small flower heads, each with a central disk of tiny yellow flowers surrounded by a few white to pale pink ray flowers.

Flower Color: Disk flowers are yellow, while ray flowers are white to pale pink.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, dry, one-seeded achene.

Seed: Seeds are tiny, enclosed within the achenes.

Stem: The stem is single, erect, and begins branching near the top. 

Hairs: There are fine hairs on the stems and leaves, giving the plant a slightly rough texture.

Height: The plant typically grows to a height of about 1 to 3 feet.

Mature horseweed, pulled up from the ground.


Close-up of young, top, lesser-toothed leaves.


Close-up of lower, mature, toothed leaves.


Young horseweed.




Close-up of young, hairy stem.


Close-up of top but soon to be lower leaves.


Very close-up of lower horseweed leaf.


Horseweed flower cluster.






Close-up of horseweed flower buds.


Horseweed on the left, Goldenrod on the right.


Goldenrod leaf on the left, Horseweed leaf on the right.


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.


Commonly found near the similar-looking goldenrod, horseweed is another plentiful, delicious weed. It prefers sunny, non-acidic soil that has already suffered being disturbed by mankind. Horseweed usually appears in late spring after goldenrod but comes to flowering maturity earlier, usually in later summer. The plant itself is tall, thin, with lance-shaped leaves. Horsehide leaves are found opposite one another with each set alternating 90 degrees from the previous two leaves. Leaves start out fairly lanceolate in shape but become more toothed as they mature. The stem and leaves are both hairy, differing them from the smooth, hairless goldenrod. The plant produces hundreds of tiny, white, dandelion-like flowers which splay out less than those of the bright yellow, pyramids of goldenrod flowers.

Taste and flavor-wise, horseweed is worlds apart from goldenrod. The young, tender seedlings are boiled by some as a somewhat spinach-flavored potherb. As it matures the flavor becomes more herb-like, reminding me of oregano-basil mix. At this stage I really like using its leaves to flavor venison roasts as they slow-cook in a crockpot all day. Really, what better seasoning for wild meat than wild herbs?!

Use a sharp pruning shears to snip off the last 3-4 sets of leaves for use as seasoning. While they can be dried by hanging in your house for later use, the slow-cooking process excels at releasing its flavor even from green, fresh leaves. This plant will continue to grow after this pruning, sometimes putting up multiple new shoots from the point of the cut. You'll often be able to get 2-3 harvests from a single plant over the course of the spring/summer.

Tea made from the leaves has long been used to treat diarrhea and dysentery.

Once the flowers appear in July/August/September its use as food has come to an end. A single plant will produce thousands of drifting seeds, many of which will produce new plants the following spring.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves; Stem - soothes chronic inflammations of gastrointestinal tract; anti-diarrheal; soothes respiratory tract inflammations; soothes sore throat; antimicrobial; stops bleeding (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.

Indian Strawberry

Scientific name: Duchesnea indica
Abundance: uncommon
What: small red fruit, young leaves
How: fruit raw (tasteless/bland), leaves and flowers raw, cooked, or in a tea
Where: sunny or partially shaded fields, moist areas.
When: spring
Nutritional Value: vitamin C, iron, zinc, manganese
Dangers: none, the paragraph in red is so you can play a joke on your friends

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are alternate, typically arranged in a pattern where each leaf is positioned at a different height along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are trifoliate, meaning they are composed of three leaflets. Each leaflet is broadly ovate with a length of approximately 1" x 1" in size. across the entire leaf. Leaflets are about 0.5" across. leaflets may be lobed.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein running along the length of each leaflet and smaller veins branching out from it.

Leaf Margin: The leaflet margins are coarsely toothed or serrated.

Leaf Color: The leaf color is a vibrant green on the upper surface and a paler green on the underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers have five petals and are located on long, slender stalks. Each flower has a diameter of about 0.5 to 1 inch.

Flower Color: The flowers are bright yellow.

Fruit: The fruit resembles a small strawberry, white skin with many red dots, but it is typically dry and bland flavored.

Seed: The seeds are small, yellowish-brown, and numerous.

Stem: The stems are thin, green, and can root at the nodes when they touch the ground.

Hairs: There are fine hairs along the stem and the lower surface of the leaves.

Height: The plant typically grows to a height of 4 to 6 inches.

Indian strawberry ground cover.


Close-up of the edible fruit.


Close-up of the flower.


Indian strawberry 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.


These bright red berries and yellow flowers appear in sunny to partially sunny areas returning to wilderness or infrequently mowed. Sadly, these fruit actually have a bland, insipid taste. However, they are usually plentiful when in season and can supply a good dose of vitamins, minerals, flavanoids, and antioxidants. No one will notice Indian strawberries' lack of flavor when they're added to vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Okay, now here's how you use Indian Strawberries to play a practical joke on your friends. The following paragraph in red is completely fake. So, when you find some pop a few in your mouth and start talking about how sweet and delicious they are then offer a few to your friend. If they eat them and then state that they didn't have any flavor, you start to panic and explain a lack of flavor is an indication that the person is one of the ~10% of the population that is highly allergic to the Indian Strawberries. Bring up this webpage and show them the red-texted, paragraph at the end of this post.

WARNING!! Lack of flavor indicates you are missing the beta-cycqatrose enzyme needed to break down a toxic component found in Indian Strawberries. Seek medical help immediately as you may suffer incapacitating vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms usually take 20-30 minutes to appear. This occurs in less than 10% of the population.


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.

Japanese Hawkweed

Scientific name(s):  Crepis japonica and Youngia japonica
Abundance: plentiful
What:  young leaves and shoots, roots
How:  raw or cooked, roots roasted for coffee
Where:   disturbed areas
When:   winter/spring/fall
Nutritional Value: minerals and antioxidants
Other uses: After flower stalks have appeared mashed leaves can be used to soothe insect bites/stings.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - cough suppressant; fever reducer; mild appetite stimulant (tisane, tincture)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are primarily basal, with most of the foliage concentrated at the base of the stem. There are few if any leaves along the stem itself.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are spatulate to oblanceolate in shape, measuring about 2 to 6 inches in length and 0.5 to 2 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, characterized by a central main vein with smaller veins branching off to the sides.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are typically entire or slightly toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are generally a bright green, though they may exhibit a slightly paler hue on the underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are borne on tall, slender stalks that rise above the foliage. Each flower head is small, with a diameter of roughly 0.2 to 0.5 inches. Multiple flowers will grow on an individual stem.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually bright yellow.

Fruit: The fruit of hawkeed is a small achene, typical of many plants in the Asteraceae family.

Seed: The seeds are tiny, equipped with a pappus of fine hairs that facilitate wind dispersal.

Stem: The stem is erect, slender, and can be either smooth or sparsely hairy. It may often branch out at the top.

Hairs: There may be fine hairs present on the stems and the lower surface of the leaves.

Height: The plant typically reaches a height of about 6 to 24 inches.

Japanese Hawkweed.






Japanese Hawkweed flowers are quite small and grow in clusters.


Close-up of flowers.




Japanese Hawkweed leaves.


Young Japanese Hawkweed plant.


Japanese hawkweed invading a yard.




Flowering Japanese Hawkweed.


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.


Appearing just about everywhere there is grass, Japanese hawkweed appears to be a dandelion but with clusters of tiny, yellow flowers. It is a close relative of dandelions and contains all the same beneficial nutrients. Unfortunately its flowers and roots are too small to be used like those from dandelions. On the plus side, the leaves are less bitter than most of the other members of the dandelion family.

Unlike the other dandelion-mimics, Japanese Hawkweed remains low in bitterness even after the flowers begin blooming. You can add the leaves raw to salads or treat them as described in the other tips for preparing bitter greens. The basic methods are boil, wilt with bacon grease, mix with an acidic/sour dressing, or dilute them with bland greens.


Edible Dandelion Mimics:
Dandelion
Cat's Ear
Chicory
Japanese Hawkweed
Salsify
Sow Thistle
Texas Dandelion
Wild Lettuce


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.

Japanese Honeysuckle

Scientific name: Lonicera japonica
Abundance: plentiful
What: flowers, vine tips
How: raw, cooked
Where: boarders, landscaping
When: summer
Nutritional Value: minerals (Ca, K) and protein
Other uses: nectar source for bees & butterflies; basketry
Dangers: there are several deadly honeysuckles, so make sure you have the safe-to-eat Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Lonicera japonica are arranged oppositely along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically oval to ovate, measuring approximately 1 to 2 inches in length.

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

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically entire or slightly toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually medium to dark green.

Flower Structure: Japanese Honeysuckle produces fragrant, tubular flowers that are paired and often occur in terminal clusters. The flowers have a length of approximately 1 to 2 inches.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically white or yellow with a yellow or orange throat.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, spherical, and berry-like structure.

Seed: Inside the fruit are small seeds.

Stem: The stem is typically climbing or trailing, often with thin, twining vines. It does not produce tendrils.

Hairs: Fine hairs the stem and sometimes its leaves.

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

Japanese Honeysuckle vine.


Yellow flowers.


Unopened flowers.


Close-up of Japanese Honeysuckle leaves.


Japanese Honeysuckle vine tip, which are edible after boiling.


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.


There are approximately 180 different Honeysuckle vines on the plant, most of which are found in China and other parts of Asia. Edibility of the different Honeysuckle vines ranges from a delicious, commonly-eaten potherb to deadly poison, depending on the species. Here in the USA, Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is actually from China but was brought to the United States about 200 years ago from Japan. It is often sold in nurseries as a landscaping plant but it has escaped into the wild in many areas, where it runs rampant due to a lack of natural enemies. Luckily it is one of the best honeysuckles in regards to edibility.

Lonicera japonica produces both yellow and white flowers with the younger flowers being white and then fading to yellow. These flowers always appear in pairs, with a four-lobed upper petal, a single-lobed lower petal and four stamen. The leaves are oppositely arranged (one on either side of the vine) and hairy both on top and underneath. The stem also has fines hairs on it.

Japanese Honeysuckle flowers can be eaten raw and have a sweet flavor due to their nectar. Many child have discovered the joy of plucking honeysuckle flowers and sucking out their nectar from the bottom. This nectar can be infused into granulated sugar or honey. Combine 1 cup of the flowers with 2 cups of the sugar or honey. If using sugar, shake the mixture and let sit 12-24 hours. If using honey, add the honey and flowers to the jar in small, alternating portions to disperse the flowers through the honey. Be sure to start and end with honey so that all the flowers are completely cover. Let the honeysuckle/honey sit for 24-48 then taste. If it needs more infusing, let it sit another 24 hours.

The last four inches of the vines taste rather bitter raw but make a mild and nutritious cooked green when boiled. They contain calcium, phosphorous, and protein so that's awesome.

In some areas of China, the Japanese Honeysuckle vines were used to weave baskets.


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.