Agarita - Texas Master Naturalist

ALAMO AREA MASTER NATURALISTS & PHIL HARDBERGER PARK CONSERVANCY
AGARITA (Berberis trifoliolata)
Left: LBJ Wildflower Center: NPIN Image 11834 by Joseph A. Marcus
Right: LBJ Wildflower Center: NPIN
Image 21559 by Sally & Andy Wasowski
Written by Alamo Area Master Naturalist Stan Drezek .
It is very early spring, and as you walk along the trail you catch the scent of honey, and your eyes are attracted to the yellow flowers on an ubiquitous
evergreen shrub named Agarita.
THE SCENT OF
HONEY
SHARP
TRIFOLIATE
LEAVES
BRIGHT RED
BERRIES
The honey-scented Agarita is very common on the dry, rocky, limestone ground which characterizes the Texas Hill Country. If you look closely as you
walk along the trails of our Natural Areas, you cannot miss it! Especially in winter its grey-green evergreen foliage will stand out. After completing a
hike you may remember seeing it often close to the trail. That is, because the Agarita loves the sun, and, while it tolerates the shade, it tends to proliferate on the borders of the forest where there is access to light. In that light, Agarita can grow to as much as eight feet; in the shade a height of four feet is
more frequently seen. Will you ever forget that early spring fragrance of Agarita?
Another reason you cannot miss Agarita is the very distinct, holly-like, leaves. If you have not felt the leaves, make sure you feel them. They are extremely sharp. Once felt, not forgotten. Actually the leaf structure is three leaflets, each of which has three to seven sharp-tipped lobes. Inevitably
some dry, and fall into the litter in our arid climate. That leaf litter is nasty to clean up.
Now, pretend it is a bit later in the spring, closer to May than March. By now the Agarita is covered with green berries, turning into bright red ones,
usually by June. Agarita is a beautiful sight with its dark green foliage and red berries, but soon the birds and small mammals that love the berries consume them. Of course, if you are a jelly-maker and know the trick of placing a ground cover beneath the shrub and beating it with a stick, you will be
rewarded with enough berries to make a jelly. Should I eat that berry? Don’t eat the berry from any plant unless you are sure that it is safe to eat.
Many berries are poisonous!
This most common shrub has all of these uses:
USES:
#1 Its smell, feel, and taste inspire us.
SHELTER
SOURCE OF
FOOD
HEDGE PLANT
#2 Its sharp leaflets provide excellent protective shelter for birds, small mammals, and reptiles.
#3 Its berries are an important food source in the Hill Country especially for birds, raccoons, and opossums, as well as serving humans as a source for
jelly.
#4 Its young leaves are eaten by deer, goats, sheep, and cattle.
#5 Its yellow flowers are a source of nectar for bees.
#6 It makes a wonderful hedge or border—plant it where you do not want people to go.
#7 A tan-orange dye can be made from its wood.
HARBINGER
OF SPRING
But for me, it all comes back to that honey sweet smell in February that tells me spring is here. Coupled with the flowering of Red Buds and Mexican
Plums, I know the profusion of wildflowers is not far behind, and once again, this magical land will call us.
Both photos below by Wendy Drezek of actual Phil Hardberger Park Agarita.
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