All plants /Ground /Frostweed
Frostweed
Verbesina virginica, aster family. Common in East and Central Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Leaves for a mild tea
- How
- Dried leaves steeped
- When
- Fall
- Where
- Shady woodland edges
- Value
- A gentle herbal tea
Caution: Used as a mild folk tea; a bitter herb best taken occasionally rather than in quantity. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
Tall winged stems and white fall flowers; on the first hard freeze the stems split and extrude curls of ice, the 'frost' that names it.
Uses
The dried leaves make a mild traditional tea; the plant is grown as much for its ribbon-ice spectacle and its butterflies.
Photo: Reportingsjr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.