Zygophyllaceae

Caltrop Family

Creosote

FAMILY: Caltrop family (Zygophyllaceae) – Larrea genus.

SPECIES: Creosote or chaparral (Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coville).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! All parts of creosote shrubs are potentially harmful and should only be used externally. Very few references mention any food uses for creosote shrubs, so caution is strongly advised.

Native Americans once prepared creosote flower buds as a caper-like garnish. Other parts are inedible, but they have value as medicine. Consumption of any part is not recommended. Creosote shrubs are a cauldron of poisons. Initially, the flower buds are dull green. As flowering time approaches, they pass through a light green phase, then ultimately vibrant yellow as the petals emerge. Collection at any point in the bud stage provides a caper-like “food.” Creosote buds don’t exactly taste like food, or even approximately like food, or even slightly reminiscent of anything that could potentially pass as food. Cooking improves the flavor. However, bitter, resinous, medicinal, and offensive characters remain difficult to subdue. Marinating the flower buds in vinegar also improves the flavor. A weak vegetable-like accent may represent creosote’s only claim to food value. Flower buds are the only part approaching palatable. The texture is pleasant and genuinely similar to capers, except for the tacky hairs. Boiling yields a clear yellowish-green wastewater that could almost pass for tea, only because tea is normally bitter. If parts other than the flower buds are included, the wastewater becomes cloudy greenish-brown. Creosote buds are a “contrasting flavor,” emphasizing the bitter senses. Hundreds, or even thousands, of flower buds occur on each shrub. They appear primarily in spring, but they can appear at any time of the year. Gathering this resource for consumption as food is time consuming and not worth the effort. It’s best gathered as medicine.

NOTES: Various parts of creosote shrubs were traditionally used to treat wounds, burns, infections, rashes, snakebites, toothaches, arthritis, bronchitis, and other health concerns. Tea brewed from the leaves is cloudy brownish-green and permeated with aromatic resins. It tastes about as unappealing as it smells, which is best described as foul, resinous, aspen-like, bitterbrush-like, and totally lacking pleasantness. Only a few sips are necessary to notice a numbing sensation on the tongue. If congestion is present, breathing will soon become easier as mucus is expelled from the lungs. Creosote shrubs are often described as a natural medicine chest. Native Americans treated them with great respect. Anyone following the native ways would be wise to do the same. Creosote shrubs are potentially harmful, so internal use, especially on a regular basis, is not recommended.

IDENTIFICATION: Only 1 species of the Larrea genus is found in the United States. Creosote (L. tridentata) has 2 varieties: a common shrub-like variety (tridentata), and a tree-like variety (arenaria) found only in southern California.

Description of creosote bush (Larrea tridentata): FORM spineless, strong-scented, evergreen shrub up to about 4 meters tall; branches grayish-brown, narrow, and open; LEAVES compound; opposite; blades even pinnate with 2 leaflets; surfaces resinous, shiny, and hairless; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, and arranged individually in the axils; pedicels usually longer than the flower buds or fruits; sepals 5; petals 5, free, yellow, and often propeller-like; stamens 10; FRUITS nutlets 5, collectively spherical, pea-like, and fuzzy from a dense covering of long silvery hairs; HABITAT deserts; virtually throughout the Southwest; blooming March to June.

REFERENCES: Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata): flower buds Facciola (p. 249).