Garden of Eatin’ 4/14/07 planted at Harlingen’s Ramsey Park by RGV chapter TX Master Naturalists Author: Christina Mild [www.riodeltawild.com] A demonstration garden of locally-native plants which produce edible fruit, seed or blooms. Separated by thornless or thorny habit. These are appropriate choices for sustainable private & public landscaping for humans and wildlife. Clearing & site preparation by Dick Roesler & Frank Wiseman. Mulch & plant funding provided by Hgn. Parks Dept. Plants from Heep’s Nursery, Harlingen (457-6834) [www.heepsnursery.com]. CWCMA-NC participating. Notes of caution: It is important to consume small quantities of unfamiliar fruits to avoid stomach upset. Please note that several poisonous fruits (black, red, orange) are also native to the LRGV. Thornless Growing notes: Fruiting attributes: Anacua, Sugarberry Long-lived, large tree provides dense Fruit is sweet when orange, but becomes Ehretia anacua shade. Initially is slow growing. Dark soapy tasting when over-ripe. Produces ¼” green foliage. Medium water fruit after rain. Aromatic bloom clusters. requirements. Chapote, TX Persimmon Small evergreen tree with beautifully 1’ fruit. Ripe when almost black. Very tasty. Diospyros texana smooth, peeling bark. Requires good Females bear fruit once per year. Good for drainage. jam. Fiddlewood, Negrito Evergreen. Fast-growing and adaptable. Some plants non-fruiting. Water for frequent Citharexylum berlandieri Tall shrub or tree. Foliage develops fruiting. Attractive clusters of ¼” orange fruits attractive orange coloration during ripen to black. Date-like flavor. stress. Stinky Passionflower Groundcover or climbing vine prefers Delicately beautiful flowers followed by 1” Vine full sun. Devoured by Gulf Fritillary yellowish fruits. Many seeds; flesh is juicy, Passiflora foetida caterpillars. Aromatic, disagreeably to tart and sweet. Continuous fruiting with ample some. irrigation. Sugar Hackberry, Palo Tall, attractive tree. Prone to root-rot. ¼" fruit with thin hard covering. Date-like Blanco Reseeds easily and abundantly. flavor. Ripe when dark brown. Fall fruiting. Celtis laevigata Texas Torchwood Aromatic 3-leaflet evergreen foliage. Flowers after rain. Clusters of ripe fruits are Amyris texana Slow to establish. Forms tall shrub in blue-black, citrus flavor. Attracts full sun. Tolerates shade. hummingbird-like hawkmoths in early evening. Wild Tomato Full sun preferred. Will re-seed. Short- ¾” yellow fruit throughout warm season. Lycopersicon esculentum stature herbaceous mound or Small but tasty. Adored by wildlife. var. cerasiforme groundcover. Also edible, not very tasty: Anacahuita (Wild Olive), Barbados Cherry, Turk’s Cap, David’s Milkberry. Very hot but edible: Chile pequin. Edible but pungent: Mountain Torchwood. Edible blooms: Indian Mallow (Abutilon fruticosum) yellow 1-in. blooms open in late afternoon. Colony-forming. Edible stems/leaves: Verdolaga, Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) Contains oxalic acid; eat in moderation. On back: THORNY specimens (several are quite tasty!) Thorny “edibles” Growing notes Fruiting attributes: Brasil Lime-green delicate foliage. Tree or Very tasty ¼” blue/black fruit. Large-fruiting Condalia hookeri tall hedge. Thorn-tipped branches specimen grows at S TX Heritage Museum in Edinburg. Fruiting after rainfall. Brush Holly, Coronillo Open, airy growth. Tolerates partial Winter fruiting. ¼” fruit ripens to dark Xylosma flexuosa shade. Long thorns on central red/black. Nice specimens grow at Valley branches. Reddish coloration on new Nature Center in Weslaco. Some specimens growth. Found near resacas. produce multiple crops of fruit each year. Coma, Chicle, Forms colonies (comal) from roots. Blue-black sticky fruit loved by birds. Latex Saffron Plum Shiny evergreen foliage. Very in fruit led to the name “chicle.” (an organic, Bumelia celastrina fragrant small white flowers. natural chewing gum) Dewberry (Rio Grande) Typically found near ponds or Fruit ripens to blue-black in late spring. Rubus trivialis riverbanks. Prefers full sun. Butterfly Requires ample water for best fruiting. nectar & host plant. Thicket-forming. Delicious! Granjeno, Spiny Hackberry Spread abundantly by birds. Very Orange fruits taste like melon or pumpkin. Celtis pallida thorny. Difficult to control once Abundant fruiting after seasonal rain. established. Very well-suited to this Survives very well in LRGV growing area. Adaptable to many soils. Forms conditions, too well for many gardeners! interesting arches. Lotebush, Clepene, Leafless during drought; leafy after Blue-black fruit can be very tasty. Best grown Gumdrop Bush rain. Grows long lanky branches. At- in remote corners away from traffic or as a Ziziphus obtusifolia tractive foliage & stems. Extremely specimen plant with ample space. Grows well drought tolerant. Very strong thorns. on fences or beneath mesquite. Biznaga de Chilitos, Shade-tolerant, colony-forming Chili-like red fruits are tart & tasty. Fruiting is Tom Thumb; Peanut Cactus cactus, about 1 inch in size. These frequent, following rains or watering. Mammilaria multiceps grow nicely in pots. Rot-susceptible. Tuna, fruit of the Nopal, Rapid growth. Young pads form in Fruiting occurs throughout summer. Ripe tuna Prickly Pear springtime & are edible. Spring can be eaten raw after spines are carefully Opuntia engelmannii flowers are gorgeous. Requires removed. Delicious red drinks, jellies and frequent trimming as maintenance. popsicles created by adding ample sugar. Strawberry Pitaya Native to the western LRGV. Upright Strawberry flavored fruit is extolled by many Echinocereus enneacanthus columnar cactus forms colonies. who have eaten it (after removing spines). Gorgeous spring blooms spring. Full sun, good drainage. Wolfberry, Berlandier’s Often planted by birds, thus found Very delicious small red fruits appear after Lycium berlandieri under trees, along fences. Leafless in every rain. Easily grown under mesquite. drought & warty-leaved at times. These thorns aren’t terribly problematic. Several leguminous trees have edible beans and/or pods and sticky edible substances surrounding the beans: Mesquite, Ebony and Retama are examples. (Cautionary note: some leguminous seedpods are extremely toxic.) Edible Fruit/Stems (pads): Night-blooming Cereus (Acanthocereus pentagonus) and Nopal, Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) Remove spines from tender new growth. Serve raw or cooked. Edible Blooms: Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana) Avoid harvesting entire bloom-head to promote re-seeding. …..Wolfberry…………..……Coma………..……Biznaga de Chilitos………..…Clepe……………….Granjeno…… .