Paleo Foraging

Berberis trifoliolata Moric.

Synonyms: = Alloberberis trifoliolata, Berberis roemeriana, Berberis trifoliata, Mahonia trifoliolata, Odostemon trifoliolatus

Common names: Agarita, algerita, agrito, wild currant, currant-of-Texas, mahonia

Form: shrub, sometimes up to 10 ft tall.

Flowers: Feb-Apr (yellow).

Food

Fruits – eaten and made into jelly by the Mexican Kickapoo (Latorre and Latorre 1977:345).

Material

Roots – soaked in water by the Chiricahua Apache to make a yellow dye for buckskin and rawhide (Mails 1974). Texas Indians pounded the root to make a yellow dye (Ohlendorf et al. 1980). It was used by the Mexican Kickapoo to dye baskets and mats (Latorre and Latorre 1977:343).

Roots, buds, & flowers – soaked in water by Apache to make a yellow dye (Mails 1974).

Notes – the wood and especially roots of Berberis chochoco Schltdl. were used in northeast Mexico as a commercial yellow dye (Ohlendorf et al. 1980:533). Berlandier mentions while the root is effective even if dried, the trunk and branches can be used for yellow dye but only if fresh, and not dried (Ohlendorf et al. 1980:607). The wood itself, rather than the bark, seems to be the principal source of the dying agent (Ohlendorf et al. 1980:607). So perhaps the fresh wood of agarita can be used for dye, and the roots can be dried to store for dye.

Experimentation

I have eaten the fruits of Agarita many times. They are quite sweet and delicious with a sour or tart flavor. Given the prickly leaves, one way to gather the fruits is to put a piece of fabric under the shrub, then shake it.