Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Monday - August 18, 2008

From: Gatesville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Edible Plants
Title: Is balsam gourd (Ibervillea lindheimeri) poisonous or edible?
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Is the Balsam Gourd edible or poisonous?

ANSWER:

It seems that Ibervillea lindheimeri (Lindheimer's globeberry) is neither poisonous nor edible. It does not appear in any of the following toxic plant databases:

Poisonous Plants of North Carolina

Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock

Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System

Texas Toxic Plant Database

And, either it is not listed in edible plant books (Tull, Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest; Allen, Edible Plants of the Gulf South ) or it's listed as inedible (Miller, Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest; Field Journal, Capital Area Master Naturalists, March 2008; TexasBeyondHistory.net.)