Maypop

Passiflora incarnata, passionflower family. Common in East and Central Texas.

At a glance

What: Egg-sized green fruit; leaves for tea
How: Ripe pulp raw; dried leaves as calming tea
When: Late summer
Where: Fence rows, fields, roadsides
Value: Vitamin C; the pulp is fragrant and tart

Caution: Eat only the pulp of ripe (yellowed, wrinkling) fruit; green unripe maypops are unpleasant. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.

Identification

The intricate purple-and-white passionflower is unmistakable; the fruit 'pops' underfoot when ripe, hence the name.

Uses

Scoop the sweet-tart seedy pulp straight from a ripe fruit. The dried leaves make a traditional mild, calming tea.

Photo: H3ini, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Forages well with

Muscadine Grape

Vitis rotundifolia

Vine Fruit

Turk's Cap

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii

Shrub Fruit

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.