Black Haw. Stag-Bush

Categories: Vii Wild Food On The Trail

The fruit of the black haw, or stag-bush, is not edible until after

frost has touched it. It is oval, dark blue with bloom, and about half

an inch long. It grows in stiff clusters on short, branching stems. The

shrub, which is sometimes a small tree, is bushy and crooked, with stout

and spreading branches. It is found from Connecticut to Georgia and as

far west as the Indian Territory. It grows among the underbrush in

forests. The bark is scaly and of a reddish-brown color, the leaves are

dark green and smooth on the upper side, paler and sometimes covered

with matted hair on the under side, where the veins show prominently;

they are two or three inches long and generally oval in shape with no

teeth. The flowers are cream-white and grow in flat-topped clusters.