Native Fruits of Central Texas
By Scott Harris of TreeFolks
Humans lived in Central Texas for thousands of years on wild game and on the abundant fruits and nuts found in the area If you're interested in growing fruit but don't want the extra work of "improved" varieties, you might consider some of these:
Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana)- This small (8-12 foot) tree popular for ornamental plantings but they also bear edible fruit. At the black-ripe stage the fruit range in size from 3/4"-1 1/2" with papery skins and very sweet soft flesh.
American Persimmon (diospyros virginiana)- If you're lucky enough to live east of IH 35 the American Persimmon Makes a beautiful yard tree with big glossy tropical-looking leaves on a pyramid shaped, small/medium sized tree. The orange fruits are the size of a small plum and are delicious if you wait until they are soft. Eating an unripe persimmon is a mistake you only make once.
Grapes (Vitis mustangensis, Vitis berlandieri)- Our predominant grape is the Mustang Grape (Vitis mustangensis). They bear small clusters (4-8 berries) of very astringent fruits that ripen in late summer. They are best used for wine and jelly. The other native grape is the Spanish or Winter Grape (V. berlandieri). It bears larger clusters of smaller fruits in October. The fruit is tastier than that of the Mustang.
Southern Dewberry (Rubus trivialis)- Dewberries don't bear as heavily as named blackberry cultivars but the drought/insect resistance of this common "bramble" are generally superior. The flavor has terrific sweet/tart balance with an appealing musky "wildness".
Agarita (Berberis trifoliolata)- A common native barberry, it is a small evergreen shrub, seldom exceeding four feet in height. Fruit is red, thin skinned, sweet/tart and grape-like in texture with edible seeds.
Plums- The Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana) is an attractive small (to 15') tree. The red-purple fruit is 3/4"-1" and it ripens in late summer. Hog and Creek Plums are spindly shrubs that form dense thickets in hardwood understories and creek bottoms. The fruit color, from gold through crimson to purple-black is nearly as ornamental as the dense white flowers in early spring. All three species' fruit have tart skins and sweet flesh.
Walnuts- The Little Walnut (Juglans microcarpa), less than twenty feet in height and often multi-trunked, is endemic to the Hill Country. The Arizona Walnut (Juglans major) is found in the same range. It is distinguished from the Little Walnut by its greater mature height (20'-40') and very long ( to 1') leaves. The Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) occurs in deeper soils, mostly east of Austin.
Escarpment Black Cherry- Our native cherry (Prunus serotina var. texensis) is a fast growing, straight trunked tree with clusters of white flowers in April or May followed by small (3/8"-1/2") purple-black berries in mid summer and stunning fall color. Although impractical for fresh eating, they are superb flavoring for jelly and juice.
Texas Mulberry- Texas Mulberry (Morus microphylla) is generally considered a weedy nuisance tree but they do produce a large quantity of fruit over a long period. They also provide very quick shade.
Pecan- Native pecans (Carya illinoiensis ) are fairly fast growing trees that require very little pruning. They usually bear every other year. Although the nuts are usually smaller, the ratio of nut to shell is similar to improved varieties. The nutmeats are rich and buttery in both flavor and color.