Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Wednesday - July 30, 2008
From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Edible Plants
Title: Edible plants native to Bexar County, Texas
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
What types of edible plants are native to Bexar county?ANSWER:
Much as we hate to admit this, Mr. Smarty Plants doesn't know everything. Nor could we find a list of edible plants just for Bexar County. First, let us refer you to a previous answer by Mr. Smarty Plants, saying that few vegetables are native plants, and only the chile pequin could be considered native to Bexar Co. Two others that spring to mind are Vitis mustangensis (mustang grape) and Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (Texas pricklypear). We understand that the purple pear of this cactus, also called a tuna, is very tasty and sweet. It is recommended that you make sure all the spines are off before you pop it into your mouth.
Beyond that, we can refer to you a couple of websites where you might be able to get more specific information: Harry T. Cliffe Bexar Regional Herbarium and the Native Plant Society of Texas San Antonio Chapter. Finally, check with the Bibliography below that could provide some more possibilities. If you find an edible plant that you think might be a possibility, check with the USDA Plant Profile with the botanical name for that plant. You can click on the map of Texas and get the specific counties where that plant appears.
More Edible Plants Questions
Toxicity of leaves and berries of lantana
July 19, 2007 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants!!!
I live in Columbia, SC and have fallen in love with the Lantana or Lanta plants. I have a lot of them because of their rapid growth. My question is -- in addition to all t...
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Information on herbs for Northeast Ohio
May 03, 2006 - Hello there,
I am writing you seeking some information on Northeast Ohio's native plants. This has been rather difficult to find—specific native plants that can be used as herbs.
If you could h...
view the full question and answer
complete list of Central Texas edible plants
January 07, 2010 - Hello! I have been searching for a complete list of Texas Hill Country Native Edibles (for humans) without much luck. Do you know of a good source? Thanks so much for your hard work! Steph
view the full question and answer
Fiber and dye plants at the Wildflower Center from Round Rock TX
May 24, 2012 - When I visited the Wildflower Center recently I noticed a garden labeled as containing fiber and dye plants, but the individual plants and their uses were not all labeled. I would be very interested ...
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Information about Cedar Sage from Austin
March 11, 2011 - I am new to the Austin area and was wondering about cedar sage (salvia roemeriana). Is this plant considered aromatic, non-aromatic of chia? And, other than the edible flower are other parts of the ...
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