Those Bright Red Berries

One of the questions I am frequently asked when I am leading a nature hike along one of the wooded trails here in Bexar County is: "What are those bright red berries and are they edible?"

This plant is most commonly called Pigeonberry (Rivina humilis), but it has a long list of additional common names: Rouge Plant, Baby Peppers, Bloodberry, Coralito and probably more. And NO the berries are not edible, at least not by mammals, but many birds are highly attracted to them. It is a very common, low-growing understory plant in South Texas woodlands, especially where the soil tends to remain moist.

Pigeonberry is in the Phytolaccaceae (Pokeweed) Family and contain the same phytotoxins as Pokeweed berries. As with the Pokeweed berries, the Pigeonberries have been used for making dyes and ink.

This set of photographs was taken along the Salado Creek Greenway Trail near the Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead on Monday, November 11, 2013.