Filaree

Scientific Name(s): Erodium texanum, Erodium cicutarium
Abundance: common
What: leaves, flowers, young fruit, root, seeds
How: raw, cooked
Where: disturbed areas, moist, sunny, fields, yards
When: spring
Nutritional Value: vitamins
Dangers: don't mistake Carolina Geranium for Filaree.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Flowers - antibacterial; antifungal; antiviral (interferon induction); antioxidant; anti-inflammatory; analgesic (tisane)

Texas Filaree (Erodium texanum) structural features:

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette pattern at the base of the plant.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are pinnately compound, with each leaf divided into several deeply lobed leaflets. The overall leaf length is typically around 2 to 6 inches.

Leaf Venation: Venation is pinnate, with a central vein from which smaller veins branch out within each leaflet.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are irregularly lobed and toothed.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a light to medium green, sometimes with hints of red or purple, especially in the leaf veins.

Flower Structure: Flowers are borne on long, slender stalks rising from the basal rosette. Each stalk typically bears one to several flowers.

Flower Color: The flowers are pink to lavender, with five petals. Each petal is about 0.5 to 1 inch in length.

Fruit: The fruit is a long, slender, beak-like capsule, often referred to as a "stork's bill."

Seed: The seeds are contained within the elongated capsule, small and hard.

Stem: The flowering stems are erect and slender, emerging from the basal rosette.

Hairs: The plant may have fine hairs, particularly on the stems and the undersides of the leaves.

Height: The plant typically grows to a height of about 6 to 18 inches.

Texas Filaree (Erodium texanum) seeding.


Slightly larger Texas Filaree. Those purple/red leaves are quite distinctive.


Still larger Texas Filaree (Erodium texanum).

Change in leaves as they mature.

Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) structural features

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged in a basal rosette pattern at the base of the plant.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are pinnately compound, with each leaf divided into several deeply lobed leaflets. The overall leaf length varies, typically around 1.5 to 3 inches long.

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

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are finely dissected or lacy.

Leaf Color: Leaves exhibit a medium to dark green color, sometimes with reddish hues under stress conditions.

Flower Structure: Flowers are borne on slender, erect stalks that extend above the basal rosette. Each stalk supports a small cluster of flowers.

Flower Color: The flowers are small, with five petals each, usually pink or lilac in color, sometimes with darker veins. Each petal is typically about 0.2 to 0.4 inches long.

Fruit: The fruit is a long, slender capsule, resembling a stork's bill, which is characteristic of the Erodium genus.

Seed: Seeds are small, enclosed within the elongated capsule, and have a unique shape that aids in their dispersal.

Stem: The flowering stems are thin and hairy, originating from the basal rosette.

Hairs: The plant has fine hairs covering the stems and the leaves, giving them a slightly fuzzy appearance.

Height: Erodium cicutarium typically reaches a height of about 10 to 20 inches when in flower.

Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) plants. Note the red growths on some of the leaves.




Close-up of Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) leaves.




Close-up of Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) flowers.


Close-up of Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) fruit that gives it its other name, 'Storkbill".




Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium) seedling.


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


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


Plants define the ecological zones of Texas. Seeing the reddish, prostrate, rosettes of Filarree tell me the acidic soils of East Texas are shifting to the more alkaline, chalky soil of the Hill Country and farther west. Filler seems to thrive in damaged, barren soils such as walking/riding trails to the cracks in driveways and parking lots. This is one tough plant!

In most high-traffic places you'll find this plant it creeps low to the ground but in wilder, unmowed/untrampled areas it sends it's frilly, lobed leaves upwards along with its 5-petaled, purple flowers. The flowers grow in clusters at the ends of thin, hairy stalks. These flowers eventually turn into long 'beaked" seedpods that give these plants the alternative name of "Storkbill".

Pretty much all parts of this plant are edible, though it can be somewhat bitter raw. Cook the leaves like you would spinach or just steam them. The flowers are okay raw and while I suppose one could treat the seedpods like okra I have yet to confirm that. The seeds are actually quite nutritious with a good dose of vitamin K, according to Green Deane.



WARNING: Carolina Geranium (Geranium carolinianum) flowers and seedpods look slightly similar but it's not edible. The leaves of Carolina geranium are "hand" shaped whereas Filaree leaves are more "Christmas Tree" shaped.

Carolina Geranium flowers and leaves - too bitter to eat.


Carolina Geranium seedpods.


Carolina Geranium roots are strongly astringent and after being dried and powdered were placed in wounds to stop bleeding. The powdered Carolina Geranium roots were also gargled to sooth sore throats.


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.

Farkleberry

Scientific Name(s): Vaccinium arboreum
Abundance: uncommon
What: berries
How: raw, cooked, jam/jelly, maybe wine
Where: woods
When: fall, winter
Nutritional Value: antioxidants, some carbohydrates
Dangers: none, but do not mistake for toxic Chinese privet.

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternate along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Simple, elliptical leaves with entire or slightly dentate margins, typically measuring 2 to 4 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Foliage is typically green, but it can turn reddish in the fall.

Flower Structure: Small, bell-shaped, white to pinkish flowers arranged in racemes.

Flower Size: Individual flowers are around 0.2 to 0.3 inches long.

Fruit (Berry): The fruit is a berry, typically dark purple to black when ripe, measuring around 0.2 to 0.4 inches in diameter. Grow individually.

Bark: Bark is a rusty-reddish color with a brick-like pattern. 

Height: Farkleberry can grow to be a large shrub or a small tree, reaching heights of 10 to 30 feet.

Hairs: Stems and leaves are generally smooth.

Branching Pattern: The branching pattern is irregular, and the plant may have a somewhat open form.

Growth Form: Farkleberry can have a multi-stemmed or single-trunked growth form.

Ripe farkleberries. They remain edible even when shriveled into raisin-like appearance.


Close-up of farkleberries.


Dried farkleberries.


Smashed fruit. Farkleberries have very small seeds compared to many other viburnum fruit.


Close-up of Farkleberry flowers.


Unripe farkleberries (late August, Big Thicket State Park).


Farkleberry leaves. Note the alternating opposite arrangement. The leaves turn red in the winter and usually drop off though many leaves will still be attached when new leaves are budding.




Farkleberry trunk. Note the "brick-like" pattern of the bark.




Young farkleberry branches have a reddish color but lack the brick-like bark pattern.


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.


Filling the spaces between bigger trees in gulf coast and east Texas woods, the small, understory Farkleberry trees play a vital role in keeping woodland creatures fed...including foragers! Their distinctive bark, looking like orange/brown brickwork makes it an easy plant to identify even when neither flowers or fruit are present. Novice foragers often mistake the Farkleberry for Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) based on their similar leaves. While both grow their leaves in a zig-zag pattern, the edges of Farkleberry leaves are smooth while Yaupon holly leaf edges are bumpy. Another close relative, Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), has similar bark and leaves but football-shaped fruit containing one big seed.

Farkleberries are ripe when black which happens in the fall and will remain on the tree and edible well into winter even when somewhat dried and wrinkled. They make a sweet snack, though somewhat small and seedy.


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.

Gayfeather/Liatris

Scientific Name(s): Liatris spicata and other Liatris species
Abundance: uncommon
What: root/tuber
How: roasted
Where: open fields, landscaping
When: fall, winter
Nutritional Value: calories

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged in a basal rosette at the base and alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are linear to lanceolate, with lengths varying from 1 to 3 inches and widths about 0.1 to 0.6 inches.

Leaf Venation: Venation is parallel, with a central vein prominent on each leaf.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are entire, with no serrations or lobes.

Leaf Color: Leaves are typically a medium to dark green.

Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in dense, spike-like clusters at the top of erect, stiff stems.

Flower Color: The flowers are typically purple, sometimes ranging to pink or white, with each individual flower small and tubular.

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

Seed: Seeds are contained within the achenes, small and hard.

Stem: The stem is tall, erect, and unbranched, often with a rough texture.

Hairs: Leaves and stem can be covered in fine, grayish hairs.

Height: The plant can grow to a height of 2 to 4 feet.

Edible gayfeather tuber.


Young gayfeather plant (early June in Houston).


A stand of gayfeather plants.


Close-up of gayfeather stand.


Close-up of gayfeather flower.


Close-up of gayfeather flower before opening.


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 quite a few different species of Gayfeathers growing in stands across the fields, prairies, ditches, and woodland glades of Texas and North America. All are considered non-poisonous but only a few of them produce tubers big enough to be worth eating. Their tall, unbranching spikes start green, then erupt with many small, purple flowers, followed by browning as they dry. During the winter months clusters of these old stalks are easy spot, even through snow on the central plains. The drought-resistant Liatris spica are becoming popular in low-water xeriscapes and can often be found at big-box home improvement stores.

Gayfeather tubers continue to grow larger year after year but only the latest-year's portion is tender enough to eat, with the common species Liatris spica being considered the best. Memorize the location of the summer-blooming purple flower stalks for harvesting the tubers in the fall and winter. Once harvested, use these tubers as you would potatoes. They do well boiled or roasted.


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.

Giant Puffball Mushrooms

Scientific Name: Calvatia gigantea
Abundance: rare
What: white flesh
How: cooked
Where: woods, fields,
When: winter, spring
Nutritional Value: minor
Dangers: Always be 100% certain on your identification of mushrooms

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

Growth Form: Calvatia gigantea, also known as the giant puffball, large, irregular spheres which lacks a distinct stem and grows attached to the ground by a cord.

Cap Shape and Size: The fruitbody is large, irregular globe or ball-shaped, 8-12 inches or more across, and 5.5-10 inches or more high, changing from white to yellow or olive-brown with maturity.

Gills or Pores: No gills are present.

Stipe Characteristics: Not present, but sometimes attached to the ground by a cord; cord approximately 2.5 inches long & 0.8 inches wide.

Odor: Mild and not unpleasant.

Bruising: Does not bruise when scratched or pressed.

Spore Color: Olive brown.

Substrate and Habitat: Saprobic, growing in nutrient-rich areas such as roadside verges, deciduous forests, woodland edges, and meadows.

Other Characteristics: The interior of the mushroom is completely white when young. Interior turns a yellowish green as it matures due to formation of spores, starting at the center of the fruitbody. 

Giant Puffball in woodland clearing.


Underside of Giant Puffball. They have no gills, pores, or stem.


Cutting the above mushroom in half top to bottom, the yellowish interior reveals it's past time to eat it.


Another Giant Puffball. This one is lumpy and misshapen but still really big!


Cutting it open reveals the entire interior is a uniform, creamy white color so it's still good to eat!


This is what it should look like inside if you're going to eat it.


Check out this monster!


An old Giant Puffball, already going to spore stage.


Tearing open the old Giant Puffball. It released a big cloud of spores.


Walking across a field or woods you spot what looks like a somewhat deflated soccer ball...or a bleached human skull laying in the grass and leaf litter. Touching it reveals a rubbery surface over a spongy interior. You've just found a Giant Puffball! These are pretty rare in Texas, being only found in a few counties in central Texas. They prefer cool weather so look in winter and early spring.

Texas has plenty of smaller puffballs such as Vascellum curtisii, Scleroderma texense, Gymnopilus spectabilis, Lycoperdon pyriforme, and others but none of these get much bigger than a lime and most are smaller than that. Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) is in a humongous size class all its own.

When collecting a Giant Puffball to eat you must always cut it in half top to bottom to make sure:
A. It's creamy white all the way through. No sign of yellow or brown which indicate it's already making spores which will make you ill.
B. There are no immature gills or an outline of a traditional mushroom hidden in the mushroom. Seeing either indicates you do NOT have an edible puffball but rather a young, deadly Amanita or other dangerous mushroom that looks like a puffball but matures into a normal "toadstool" shape.

This looked like a puffball but cutting it in half revealed immature gills as described above in B. This is NOT a puffball mushroom!!


When cooking Giant Puffballs think of them as a chunk of tofu-like matter. The favored way of preparing them is cut them into 1/2" thick slices, batter them with milk, salt, & flour, then fry them in hot oil until golden brown. You can also thinly-slice them followed by sautéing them in butter and some garlic. Good Lord, y'all have no idea how hungry I get when working on this blog!


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.

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.