Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves  Seed  Seedpod  Shoots
Edible Uses:

Edible leaves, flowers, very young pods, and seeds [2-3]. Flavor is often unpleasant, so boiling and water changes are strongly recommended. Best used as a processed and preserved green rather than a fresh vegetable. Edible Uses & Rating: Leaves, flowers, seedpods (very young), and seeds are considered edible, but palatability is consistently the limiting factor. In practical terms, the leaves are the most useful part because they can be harvested in bulk and processed into dried cakes for storage. Seeds are naturally storable and relatively easy to gather and process, but their flavor is often bitter and unpleasant. Overall, purple beeplant rates as an important “reliable processing plant” rather than a pleasant fresh vegetable [2-3]. Taste, Processing & Kitchen Notes: Fresh leaves are strongly malodorous and the flavor often mirrors the smell, making raw use difficult for most people. Boiling the leaves, ideally with a change of water, reduces intensity and makes them more manageable. The traditional-style preservation approach—boil, then sun-dry, then form into hard cakes—produces a durable food that can be eaten later without further cooking. These cakes tend to become dark greenish-black and can smell seaweed-like, with a texture reminiscent of dry rice cakes. Seasonings and mixed dishes help. Drying should be done outdoors or in very well-ventilated spaces due to lingering odor. Seedpods can look temptingly like green beans but behave very differently. Only the youngest pods are worth considering, and even then they can be fibrous, gum-like, and unpleasant. Cooking does little to fix texture, so pods can ruin a dish if added indiscriminately. Seeds are rich in oil and store well, but their coats can be bitter and awkward. Toasting can blunt some harshness, yet many people still find the flavor objectionable. If coarsely ground and mixed with water, some separation of seed parts may be possible because hull fragments tend to behave differently than the oily seed interior, but it is not a clean or easy refinement [2-3]. Seasonality (Phenology): Purple beeplant can bloom from spring through autumn, often responding to rainfall patterns. Leaf harvest is best earlier, while plants are lush and before leaves wither during pod development. Seeds develop over the long flowering season and may be available across warm months depending on local moisture timing. Safety & Cautions (Food Use): Because purple beeplant commonly grows along roadsides and in disturbed soils, harvest location matters. Avoid sprayed verges, contaminated washes, and areas with heavy livestock or pet impacts. Strong flavors and odors can also signal high levels of plant compounds that some people may not tolerate well in large servings, so moderation and thorough cooking are prudent. Harvest & Processing Workflow: For greens, harvest whole young plants or leafy tops before pods dominate and leaves wither. Boil thoroughly, ideally changing water once, then drain well. Dry the cooked greens in sun or airflow and press into cakes or store as dried leaf material. For seeds, allow pods to mature and dry, then gather and thresh; toast lightly if you want a more stable stored product, but expect flavor to remain challenging. Cultivar/Selection Notes: This species is sometimes treated within Cleome or Peritoma depending on taxonomy; for practical use the plant’s growth stage and habitat matter more than naming. Related regional spiderflowers exist, including slender spiderflower in some areas, distinguishable by leaf and pod traits. Look-Alikes & Confusion Risks: Beeplants are distinctive, and confusion is usually within the same general group of spiderflowers. The bigger practical risk is culinary, not botanical: mistaking mature pods for edible “green bean” equivalents. Only very young pods are even marginally chewable, and even then they can be unpleasant. Traditional / Indigenous Use Summary: Purple beeplant has strong documentation of Indigenous use in the Southwest, including cultivation by Pueblo peoples and archaeological evidence of common consumption. Preservation into dried forms, including cakes, aligns with practical needs in arid regions and helps explain how such a strongly flavored plant could still be an important food. Young shoots, leaves and flowers are cooked and used as potherbs[46, 105, 161, 183]. The plants were gathered and, after removing an alkaline taste[46], were eaten with cornmeal porridge[61, 183]. The plant smells like a skunk, but it was an important potherb for the native North American Indians and the early European settlers in America[207]. Seed - raw or cooked[257]. It can be dried and ground into a meal then used as a mush or mixed with flour to make bread etc[85, 183, 207, 257]. Seedpods - cooked[183]. The hardened cakes of dyestuff (see note on the plants other uses) can be soaked in hot water and then eaten fried[207].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Deodorant  Febrifuge

An infusion of the plant is drunk in the treatment of fevers and stomach disorders[213, 257]. A poultice made from the pounded, soaked leaves has been applied to sore eyes[257].

Deodorant  Dye

A black dye is obtained[46, 61, 85] by boiling down the whole plant[95]. It is used as a paint for decorating pottery[207]. The young plants are harvested in mid-summer, boiled well in water, the woody parts of the plant are removed and the decoction is boiled again until it becomes thick and turns black. This thick liquid is then poured onto a board to dry in cakes and can be kept for an indefinite period. When needed it is soaked in hot water until the correct consistency for paint is achieved[207]. A decoction of the leaves has been used as a body and shoe deodorant[257]. It is a strong pollinator plant and can be used in restoration and habitat plantings. This is a major pollinator resource, especially for bees, and it can support dense insect activity during bloom. Its seasonal biomass also provides structure and microhabitats. Because it often grows in colonies, it can be ecologically prominent in disturbed desert landscapes.

Special Uses

Attracts Wildlife