Edible Native Arizona Plants

Despite Arizona's intimidating desert landscape, hundreds of native plant species may be found, many of them edible. Native Americans subsisted on many of these plants and some are still popular in local cuisine. With Summer temperatures commonly exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, hikers who choose to take on the Arizona desert would be wise to familiarize themselves with the edible plants native to the environment.

The saguaro cactus produces a red fruit that has a sweet, fig-like taste and a high water content. Native Americans use long, hooked poles to knock the fruit off the giant cacti.

Both the pads and the fruit of the prickly pear cactus may be eaten. The pads are a popular Mexican delicacy, but the thorns must be carefully removed, and the pads must be cooked before eaten. The pulp of the fruit is sweet, but again the thorns must be removed.

The chuparosa is a small evergreen shrub that produces red or yellow flowers. These flowers are edible and have a slight cucumber taste.

Both the netleaf hackberry and desert hackberry trees may be found in Arizona. They produce orange, red or black fruit that may be eaten. They are tart, juicy and have a small crunchy seed.

Pods of the mesquite tree are often dried, then the seeds inside are ground into a brown flour. It has a sweet, caramel or chocolate taste and may be used in baking.

While many edible plants thrive in the Arizona wilderness, many poisonous plants also fill the landscape. When eating wild plants, always have a positive identification of the plant. If you are not completely sure of the species of plant, do not attempt to eat it. Also, some edible plants have edible parts and poisonous parts.