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Enchanted
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Right- Silver-leaf Nightshade (Solanum elaegnifolium), growing on the top of Turkey Peak. Silverleaf nightshade is rich in solasodine, a chemical used in the manufacture of steroidal hormones. A hormone resembling papain is present in its fruits. Pima Indians added crushed berries to milk when making cheese, because this hormone would break down proteins in the milk. The Kiowa Tribe, when tanning hides, would combine silverleaf nightshade seeds with brain tissue from the skinned animal, and rub it into the hide. Despite these many uses in cooking, Silverleaf nightshade contains toxic alkaloids that combine with sugars to produce glycoalkaloids that irritate the gastrointestinal tract; within the tract, these compounds may be hydrolyzed to release alkalids or alkamines that are nerve toxins. Cattle that eat the ripe berries may exhibit moderate to severe poisoning symptoms. Sheep are more resistant to the toxins and goats are unaffected. Humans should not eat the berries.
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Left- Texas
Persimmon tree (Diospyros texana), with a load of persimmons,
growing on the top of Turkey Peak. These fruits, about the size of large
grapes, turn purple in the fall. They can be used in jams, eaten raw, or
cooked. Native Americans used the dark purple meat of the fruit to dye cloth.
Below- Right- A flowering plant grows out of the side of the rock on Turkey Peak. Left- Frog Pond southwest of Turkey Peak, as seen from the summit.
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