Desert trumpet (Eriogonum inflatum)

Family: Polygonaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Eriogonum inflatum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is in flower from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Young leaves and stems - raw or cooked. Tender. Eaten before flowering. Most commonly harvested just after emerging through the ground in spring. Seed - pounded into a powder and eaten dry or mixed with water. — Young leaves and stems - raw or cooked.; Eaten before flowering.; Most commonly harvested just after emerging through the ground in spring.; Seed - pounded into a powder and eaten dry or mixed with water.

Habitat & North American Range

Sandy to gravelly washes, flats, and slopes, mixed grassland, saltbush, creosote bush, mesquite, and sagebrush communities, pinyon and/or juniper woodlands at elevations of-30 - 1800 metres. (Zone 8)