Rhamnaceae

Buckthorn Family

Ceanothus

FAMILY: Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) – Ceanothus genus.

SPECIES: #1 Fendler’s ceanothus, buckbrush, deerbrier, or wild lilac (Ceanothus fendleri A. Gray). #2 deerbrush (Ceanothus integerrimus Hook. & Arn.). #3 snowbrush, velvet buckbrush, or tobacco brush (Ceanothus velutinus Douglas ex Hook.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! Ceanothus species contain excessive amounts of saponins. Immature fruits (capsules) and seeds of deerbrier (C. fendleri) and deerbrush (C. integerrimus) were supposedly prepared as mush, and the leaves of velvet buckbrush (C. velutinus) were prepared as tea. Consumption of these wild foods is not recommended due to the overabundance of saponins.

Immature fruits of deerbrier (C. fendleri) and deerbrush (C. integerrimus) look and taste very similar. Fresh fruits taste acrid, bitter, and soapy. It’s certainly not a flavor that anyone would associate with fruits. Cooking has little effect upon the flavor. There’s no right time to gather these fruits. Immature fruits are firm, fleshy, and often sticky. Fully mature fruits become dry, hard, and utterly worthless as food. At no point in their development do they pass through a stage where any sweetness is detectable. These nasty little fruits would be for extremely desperate times and should probably be considered inedible.

Leaves of velvet buckbrush (C. velutinus) can be prepared as tea. Fresh leaves are shiny and have the aroma of balsam, medicine, varnish, turpentine, insecticides, and “something on the shelf at a hardware store.” Tea made from fresh leaves has all these aspects. Tea made from aged leaves is reputed to have a superior quality. Buckbrush tea has a certain intrigue, but it’s not for social occasions. It’s also not a realistic substitute for green or black camellia tea. Tea made from the leaves of other species listed above is green, fragrant, soapy, and slightly less medicinal. A vegetable-like undertone is usually apparent. Including the flowers adds a subtle complexity to the flavor and intensifies the aroma. Buckbrush tea, or tea made from deerbrush or deerbrier, is best dilute. Otherwise, it more closely approximates shampoo than tea. Ceanothus shrubs are very common and arguably the cleanest-smelling shrubs in the Southwest, but they have virtually no value as food.

NOTES: Fresh flowers of species listed above make an ideal ingredient for soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. They have antibacterial properties and may be helpful for treating various skin conditions.

IDENTIFICATION: Approximately 60 species of the Ceanothus genus are found in the United States, mainly in California. Only 5 species occur in the Southwest, Great Basin, and Rocky Mountains.

Description of the Ceanothus genus: FORM deciduous or evergreen shrubs about 1-3 meters tall; with or without spines; LEAVES simple; alternate or opposite; blades oval; margins entire or toothed; surfaces hairy, hairless, or sticky; FLOWERS regular, perfect, showy, fragrant, ovary partially inferior, and arranged in dense clusters; sepals 5; petals 5, clawed, hooded, white, pink, or blue; stamens 5; FRUITS capsules dry, rounded, 3-celled, and 3-lobed; each cell containing a single nutlet; HABITAT deserts, foothills, and mountains; often comprising a significant portion of shrubland communities; blooming March to October.

REFERENCES: #1 buckbrush (Ceanothus fendleri): immature fruits Ebeling (p. 839); seeds Couplan (p. 292). #2 deerbrush (Ceanothus integerrimus): immature fruits Ebeling (p. 839); seeds Couplan (p. 292). #3 snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus): leaves (tea) Couplan (p. 292) and Facciola (p. 190).

Condalias

FAMILY: Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) – Condalia genus.

SPECIES: #1 bitter snakewood (Condalia globosa I. M. Johnst.). #2 Brazilian bluewood (Condalia hookeri M. C. Johnst.). #3 Mexican bluewood (Condalia mexicana Schltdl.). #4 knifeleaf condalia (Condalia spathulata A. Gray). #5 Warnock’s or Kearney’s condalia (Condalia warnockii M. C. Johnst.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: The berry-like fruits (drupes) of all species listed above are edible fresh or cooked.

Bitter snakewood (C. globosa) produces small, black, bitter fruits. One tree can produce thousands of fruits, but fruit production is unreliable. Very few trees of the northern Sonoran Desert (also called the Colorado Desert) consistently produce fruits year after year, and bitter snakewood is no exception. Gathering the fruits is hazardous to the hands due to intricate tangles of formidable spines. Placing a tarp under the tree and knocking the branches with a stick is a safer technique for gathering a supply. Only fully ripe fruits readily detach. Bitter snakewood fruits require an extraordinarily long time to ripen. They even appear ripe for several weeks before finally ripening. Flowers appear from November to April, but fruits won’t be ready until May to August. The northern Sonoran Desert never freezes, so the growing season is all year long. Prior to maturity, the fruits taste awful. Even fully ripe fruits barely qualify as palatable. Wrinkled fruits long past maturity are reduced to thin skins covering hard stones. Cooking the fruits offers no salvation. They are destined for bitterness, hence the name bitter snakewood.

Brazilian bluewood (C. hookeri) is found primarily in southern Texas and southward into Mexico, particularly the state of Tamaulipas. Despite its name, it does not grow in Brazil or anywhere else in South America. Fruits of this species are black, round, shiny, and reported to taste sweet. Texas foragers may find them ripening throughout summer.

Mexican bluewood (C. mexicana) is virtually identical to Correll’s bluewood (C. correllii). These species should rightfully be synonyms. If we believe that Mexican bluewood no longer grows in the United States, then earlier floras for Arizona and New Mexico (noted below) and references to the edibility of Mexican bluewood were “mistakenly” referring to Correll’s bluewood. Earlier floras were not wrong and they do not recognize Correll’s bluewood. Modern floras consider these species distinct and call the United States populations Correll’s bluewood, for which we have no references to edibility. Mexican bluewood, as described in earlier floras, grows from southeastern Arizona to southwestern Texas and southward into Mexico. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to try the fruits of Mexican bluewood, but they are reported to be edible.

Knifeleaf condalia (C. spathulata) produces small, black, sweet, slightly bitter, slightly mucilaginous, berry-like fruits filled with hard pits. Bitter accents characteristic of the genus are usually minimal. Boiling effectively breaks down the mucilage and produces a sweet, thick, reddish-black broth. It’s an excellent broth for rice and vegetable soups. Fleshy layers adhere to the pits when the fruits are fresh, but after boiling the two readily separate. Spoonleaf, rather than knifeleaf, may better describe the leaves of this condalia. The leaves are harmless, but the spiny branches interfere with gathering the fruits. Late summer to early autumn is a good time to search. Not all the fruits ripen simultaneously, so revisiting the same shrub a few days later should provide more fruits. Bugs often ravage the fruits, so watch for signs of damage. Holes and discolorations can be hard to see against the black skins. Knifeleaf condalia fruits are an excellent resource.

Warnock’s condalia (C. warnockii) is virtually identical to knifeleaf condalia described above. In fact, it’s arguably the same species.

IDENTIFICATION: According to the USDA Plants Database, the Condalia genus is currently represented by 7 species in the United States. All the species are native to the Southwest. The Condalia genus is yet another “taxonomical disaster zone,” and apparently for no good reason. The following descriptions are based on: Kearney and Peebles (1960 pp. 529-530); Martin and Hutchins (pp. 1228-1231); and Robert Vines (pp. 694-700).

Description of bitter snakewood (Condalia globosa): FORM spiny shrub or tree about 2-5 meters tall; LEAVES simple; alternate or clustered; 7-22 mm long by 3-6 mm wide; blades spoon-shaped; margins entire; FLOWERS regular, perfect, inconspicuous, ovary superior, and arranged individually or in clusters; sepals 5; petals 0; stamens 5; FRUITS drupes bitter, fleshy, black, globe-shaped, relatively long-stalked (2-5 mm), and 1-stoned; each stone with 2 chambers; HABITAT along washes in the deserts of southwestern Arizona and southeastern California; blooming in winter or spring.

Description of Brazilian bluewood (Condalia hookeri): FORM spiny shrub or tree about 3-9 meters tall; LEAVES simple; alternate or clustered; 10-35 mm long by 8-16 mm wide; blades egg-shaped (obovate); margins entire; FLOWERS regular, perfect, inconspicuous, ovary superior, and arranged individually or in clusters; sepals 5; petals 0; stamens 5; FRUITS drupes fleshy, black, sweet, globe-shaped, and 1-stoned; each stone with 2 chambers; HABITAT along washes in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern Texas and southward into Mexico; blooming in spring; fruiting in summer.

Description of Mexican bluewood (Condalia mexicana): FORM spiny, rigid shrub about 1-5 meters tall; LEAVES simple; alternate or clustered; 7-15 mm long by 3-6 mm wide; blades narrowly to widely spoon-shaped (oblanceolate to obovate); margins entire or finely toothed; veins inconspicuous; FLOWERS regular, perfect, inconspicuous, ovary superior, and arranged individually or in clusters; sepals 5; petals 0; stamens 5; FRUITS drupes fleshy, black, globe-shaped to slightly elongated, sessile or subsessile, and 1-stoned; each stone with 2 chambers; HABITAT desert upland communities from southeastern Arizona to western Texas and southward into Mexico; blooming July to September. NOTES: How Correll’s bluewood (C. correllii) legitimately differs from Mexican bluewood is unclear. Older authorities (Kearney and Peebles 1960 pp. 529-530; Martin and Hutchins pp. 1228-1231; and Robert Vines pp. 694-700) do not recognize Correll’s bluewood as existing. The Condalia genus was “revised” in 1962, see Brittonia 14(4): pp. 332-368.

Description of knifeleaf condalia (Condalia spathulata): FORM spiny shrub about 1-3 meters tall; LEAVES simple; alternate or clustered; 4-11 mm long by 1-3 mm wide; blades narrowly spoon-shaped (spatulate); margins entire; veins well defined; FLOWERS regular, perfect, inconspicuous, ovary superior, and arranged individually or in clusters; sepals 5; petals 0; stamens 5; FRUITS drupes sweet, fleshy, black, globe-shaped to slightly elongated, short-stalked, and 1-stoned; each stone with 2 chambers HABITAT desert upland communities from Arizona to Texas and southward into Mexico; blooming July to September.

Description of Warnock’s condalia (Condalia warnockii): How this species legitimately differs from knifeleaf condalia (Condalia spathulata) is unclear. Older authorities (Kearney and Peebles 1960 pp. 529-530; Martin and Hutchins pp. 1228-1231; and Robert Vines pp. 694-700) do not recognize Warnock’s condalia or its two varieties.

REFERENCES: #1 bitter snakewood (Condalia globosa): fruits Castetter (1935-b p. 19). #2 Brazilian bluewood (Condalia hookeri): fruits Austin (p. 240). #3 Mexican bluewood (Condalia mexicana): fruits Couplan (p. 293). #4 knifeleaf condalia (Condalia spathulata): fruits Couplan (p. 293) and Jaeger (p. 138). #5 Warnock’s or Kearney’s condalia (Condalia warnockii): fruits Hodgson (p. 224, cited as subspecies kearneyana) and Taylor (1998 pp. 34-35).

Buckthorns and Coffeeberries

FAMILY: Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) – Rhamnus and Frangula genera.

SPECIES: #1 California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica Eschsch. ssp. californica = Frangula californica (Eschsch.) A. Gray ssp. californica). #2 sierra coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica Eschsch. ssp. cuspidata (Greene) C. B. Wolf = Frangula californica (Eschsch.) A. Gray ssp. cuspidata (Greene) Kartesz & Gandhi). #3 chaparral coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica Eschsch. ssp. tomentella (Benth.) C. B. Wolf = Frangula californica (Eschsch.) A. Gray ssp. tomentella (Benth.) Kartesz & Gandhi). #4 redberry buckthorn (Rhamnus crocea Nutt.). #5 hollyleaf buckthorn (Rhamnus ilicifolia Kellogg = Rhamnus crocea Nutt. var. ilicifolia (Kellogg) Greene).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Fruits of all species listed above are edible. Buckthorn fruits have a distinctive flavor marked by bitterness and highly variable amounts of sweetness. Bitterness is more prevalent in the seeds. Fleshy parts consistently taste better than the seeds. Several species of the Rhamnus genus are strong purgatives, so caution is advised when consuming fruits or any other parts of species in this genus.

California coffeeberry (based on Rhamnus californica ssp. ursina and Rhamnus californica ssp. tomentella) is a complex set of integrating subspecies producing fruits ranging in flavor from bitter to sweet. The subspecies sampled for this reference produced good-quality fruits, except for some of the ursina samples. Whether or not fruits of the other subspecies have traits similar to the sampled fruits is uncertain. Fully ripe California coffeeberries are blackish-red, pleasantly sweet, and almost completely filled by 2-4 hard stones. The noted subspecies usually have 3 stones. Bitterness is mostly confined to the stones. From a distance, California coffeeberries look like cherries, but closer examination reveals some obvious differences. Gathering these fruits is reasonably easy. Fresh fruits taste superior to boiled fruits. Boiling tends to transfer bitterness from the stones into the flesh, thus degrading the sweet flesh. Simply chewing the flesh off the stones is the best way to utilize these fruits. California coffeeberry is found primarily in southern California, and only the ursina subspecies is likely to be found in the other southwestern states. The only other Rhamnus species of the Frangula group in the Southwest is birchleaf buckthorn (R. betulifolia). Fruits of this species taste awful and are not reported to be edible. Experimenting with unknown species in the Rhamnus genus is inadvisable, as many are strong purgatives. Coffeeberries are better known as medicine than food, but they were eaten by some groups of Native Americans. Despite the name, coffeeberries were rarely used to make coffee. The subspecies mentioned above tend to inhabit mountainous regions and bloom from April to July. Fruits can be expected from June to October. Overall, California coffeeberry fruits are a questionable wild food that should only be consumed in small amounts.

Hollyleaf buckthorn (Rhamnus ilicifolia) produces sweet, juicy, red fruits of decent quality. Fruits of this species are intermediate between berries and drupes. Each fruit normally contains two “stones” that are soft enough to chew. Only the flesh is sweet. The stones taste awful. Hollyleaf buckthorn is a reliable fruit producer. Gathering a supply of the fruits is easy, but spiny margins on the leaves can hinder the gathering process and irritate unprotected hands. Fruits occur in clusters and ripen from midsummer to autumn. Hollyleaf buckthorn is found primarily in central Arizona and southern California. The fruits sampled for this reference were from the Hualapai Mountains of northwestern Arizona and the Superstition Mountains in the central part of the state. Compared to coffeeberries, fruits of hollyleaf buckthorn are much better suited for consumption.

IDENTIFICATION: The Rhamnus genus is currently represented by about 20 species in the United States. A small group of petal-producing species within this genus is sometimes segregated into a Frangula genus. Frangula species have perfect flowers with 4-5 petals, and terminal buds that are not covered by scales. Rhamnus species have unisexual flowers lacking petals, and scaly terminal buds. Drupe-like fruits with 2-4 stones distinguish these genera from all others within the buckthorn family. According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, the Frangula genus is no longer recognized.

Description of coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica): FORM spineless shrub or tree up to 6 meters tall; twigs reddish; terminal buds not covered by scales; LEAVES simple; alternate to nearly opposite; evergreen; stalked; blades elliptic, 20-80 mm long; margins smooth, finely toothed, or rolled; tips rounded or pointed; upper surfaces dark green and usually hairless; lower surfaces ranging from hairless to densely fine-haired; veins pinnate; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, and arranged individually or a few in axillary clusters; sepals 5; petals 5; FRUITS dark red, drupe-like, and with 2-3 stones; HABITAT rocky mountains and canyons; southern California; blooming May to July. NOTES: Differences between subspecies are based primarily on the leaves.

Description of hollyleaf buckthorn (Rhamnus ilicifolia): FORM spineless shrub up to 4 meters tall; terminal buds covered by scales; LEAVES simple; alternate or opposite; evergreen; stalked; blades rounded, 15-40 mm long; margins spiny-toothed; surfaces hairy or hairless; veins pinnate; FLOWERS regular, unisexual, ovary superior, and arranged in clusters; sepals 4; petals 0; FRUITS bright red, drupe-like, with 2 stones; HABITAT desert uplands, chaparral communities, and mountains of southern Arizona and southern California; blooming March to June. NOTES: This species has been treated as a subspecies of Rhamnus crocea, from which it differs primarily by having larger leaves (more than 15 mm long versus less than 15 mm long).

REFERENCES: #1 California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica ssp. californica): fruits Moerman (p. 118, cited as Frangula californica ssp. californica). #2 sierra coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica ssp. cuspidata): fruits Ebeling (p. 839). #3 hoary or chaparral coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica ssp. tomentella): fruits Ebeling (p. 839). #4 redberry buckthorn (Rhamnus crocea): fruits Couplan (p. 294), Ebeling (p. 839), Moerman (p. 213), and Saunders (p. 264). #5 hollyleaf buckthorn (Rhamnus ilicifolia = Rhamnus crocea var. ilicifolia): fruits Kearney (1942 p. 557) and Schneider (p. 141).

Graythorns and Jujubes

FAMILY: Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) – Ziziphus genus.

SPECIES: #1 graythorn or lotebush (Ziziphus obtusifolia (Hook. ex Torr. & A. Gray) A. Gray var. canescens (A. Gray) M. C. Johnst. = Condalia lycioides (A. Gray) Weberb. var. canescens (A. Gray) Trel.). #2 graythorn or lotebush (Ziziphus obtusifolia (Hook. ex Torr. & A. Gray) A. Gray var. obtusifolia = Condalia lycioides (A. Gray) Weberb.). #3 desert jujube or plum (Ziziphus parryi Torr. = Condalia parryi (Torr.) Weberb.). #4 common jujube or Chinese date (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. = Ziziphus zizyphus (L.) Karst.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: The fruits (drupes) of graythorns and desert jujubes are edible, but not always palatable. Desert jujubes also have edible seeds.

Graythorn (based on Z. obtusifolia var. canescens) fruits turn from green to dark bluish-purple at maturity. They taste more like vegetables than fruits, unless they’re fully ripe. Fully ripe fruits taste fruity. Outer skins are thin and barely noticeable. Fleshy layers are soft and sticky, and tend to adhere to the stones. Bitterness often taints the flavor and astringency can be an issue, but the overall flavor is usually good. It’s a flavor that eludes comparison. No grocery store fruits taste similar. Harvesting fully ripe fruits is imperative. Graythorn fruits drop soon after maturing. Determining the right time to harvest is important. Once the transition from green to bluish-purple begins, the peak harvest time soon follows. Exactly when the peak harvest time occurs is difficult to determine because it’s highly variable, occurring almost throughout the year, but especially in June and July. High winds readily detach the fruits and small animals quickly consume the fallen bounty. Finding fruits persisting after maturity or lying on the ground is highly unlikely. In 1908, Frank Russell (p. 76) wrote that the Pima Indians beat graythorn shrubs with sticks and gathered the fruits off the ground. Afterward, the fruits were washed and eaten raw, and the seeds were discarded. This sounds like a good gathering strategy because the shrubs are thorny. Using a stick to knock the fruits loose would avert injury to the hands and arms. In 1949, Leonora Curtin (p. 50) mentioned that the Pima Indians made syrup by boiling the fruits in water. It’s highly likely that fruits of the obtusifolia variety in the Chihuahuan Desert have aspects identical to those of the canescens variety described here. Overall, graythorn shrubs are common in the southern half of the Southwest and provide foragers with a valuable source of fruit.

Desert jujube (Z. parryi) fruits turn from green to yellow and finally to reddish-brown at maturity—at least on the sun-facing sides. They look like little plums, except for being pointy at one end. Each fruit has a thin fleshy layer surrounding a large stone. Desert jujubes are sizable fruits, but they taste terribly unappealing, generally outside the range of palatable. At no point do they develop any detectable sweetness. Fleshy layers are moist, sticky, and almost disconnected from the stones. This natural disconnection allows for easy separation of the flesh and stones. Drying the fruits does little to improve their flavor. Instead, the process only concentrates bitterness. Soaking jujubes in the juice of sweeter fruits prior to drying them is advisable. Boiling more effectively improves the flavor by eliminating bitterness, but any traces of sugar are lost in the process. The resulting material is bland and astringent. Seeds of desert jujube can be ground into flour. I only sampled the flesh, so I can’t comment on the seeds. Walter Ebeling (p. 380) described the seeds as nut-like and mentioned that the Cahuilla Indians of southern California ground and leached them to make a “tasty” flour. How the protective shells were removed was not mentioned. Making flour out of desert jujubes would require removing the protective shells. Gathering the fruits is easy despite the thorny branches. Fruits mature throughout summer, and they mature at different times. Even fruits on the same shrub can mature over a period of several weeks. Desert jujubes are found along the northwestern edge of the Sonoran Desert in southern California, especially in the mountains west of the Salton Sea. Overall, desert jujubes seem to be a poor-quality wild food.

Common jujube (Z. jujuba) is native to Asia, where it’s cultivated as a source of edible fruit (Salunkhe 1995 pp. 387-395 and Jackson pp. 283-286). In the southwestern United States, it’s found primarily in home gardens and is of no importance to foragers in a wilderness setting. Of the 150-170 species in the Ziziphus genus worldwide, common jujube ranks among the best. I’ve never eaten these fruits, but they’re described very favorably. Plus, they wouldn’t have been cultivated for over 7,000 years if they didn’t taste good. Although desert jujube (Z. parryi) may be related, I can find nothing good to say about its fruits. Apparently, just because it’s called a jujube, doesn’t mean that it is a jujube. Fruits of common jujube have been compared to dates, hence another one of their names— Chinese dates.

IDENTIFICATION: The Ziziphus genus is represented by 3 species in the United States, all of which are found in the Southwest. The Ziziphus and Condalia genera are closely related. The difference is that flowers of Ziziphus species have petals while those of Condalia do not. Common jujube (Z. zizyphus) is found in Texas and the southeastern United States.

Description of graythorn (Ziziphus obtusifolia): FORM spiny, gray shrub about 1-3 meters tall; LEAVES simple; alternate or clustered; deciduous; blades narrowly obovate to elliptic; margins smooth or serrated; surfaces dull, hairy (var. canescens), or hairless (var. obtusifolia); FLOWERS regular, perfect, inconspicuous, ovary superior, and arranged in clusters; sepals 5; petals 5, yellowish-green; styles 2; stamens 5; FRUITS drupes bluish-black, globe-shaped, 7-9 mm in diameter, glaucous, short-stalked, and with a solitary stone; HABITAT deserts and foothills; Texas to California; blooming March to September.

Description of desert jujube (Ziziphus parryi): FORM spiny shrub about 1-4 meters tall; LEAVES simple; alternate or clustered; deciduous; blades obovate; margins smooth or serrated; surfaces often glossy; FLOWERS regular, perfect, inconspicuous, ovary superior, and arranged in clusters; sepals 5; petals 5, yellowish; styles 2; stamens 5; FRUITS drupes yellowish or reddish-brown, radish-shaped, 10-20 mm long, stalked, beaked, and with a solitary stone; HABITAT chaparral communities of southern California; blooming February to April; fruiting throughout summer.

REFERENCES: #1 graythorn (Ziziphus obtusifolia var. canescens = Condalia lycioides var. canescens): fruits Ebeling (p. 504) and Moerman (p. 284). #2 graythorn (Ziziphus obtusifolia var. obtusifolia = Condalia lycioides): fruits Couplan (p. 295). #3 desert jujube (Ziziphus parryi = Condalia parryi): fruits and seeds Ebeling (p. 380) and Moerman (p. 284). #4 common jujube (Ziziphus jujuba = Ziziphus zizyphus): fruits Couplan (p. 295).