Tag: Andromeda polifolia

Clintonia borealis

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Botanical Name :Clintonia borealis
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Clintonia
Species: C. borealis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Liliales

Common Names : Blue-bead lily or Clintonia, also Clinton’s Lily, Corn Lily, Cow Tongue, Yellow Beadlily, Yellow Bluebeadlily, Snakeberry, Dogberry, Straw Lily

Habitat : The plant is native to the boreal forest in eastern North America, but is also found in other coniferous or mixed forests and in cool temperate maple forests. It is not found in open spaces, and only grows in the shade.

Description:
Clintonia borealis is a small (5–10 in) perennial plants, usually found in homogeneous colonies. At full growth, a shoot has 2–4 clasping and curved, slightly succulent leaves with parallel venation. The flowers are arranged in small umbels at the extremity of a long stalk. They have 6 stamens and 3 identical sepals and petals (tepals). In rare cases more than one umbel is found on a shoot or shoots from a clone. The fruits are small dark blue, lurid berries. A white-berried form (f. albicarpa) also exists.

Click to see the pictures

Click to see the picture

The plant reproduces via seed or vegetatively by rhizomes. Flowering in May and June and the bloom color is Yellow , Green , Brown. It takes over a dozen years for a clone to establish and produce its first flower, 2 years of which are dedicated solely to germination. The rhizome starts to mold after approximatively 15 years, but a colony often covers several hundred m². Few specimens establish new colonies.

Clintonia borealis is extremely slow to spread, but established clones can usually survive many later modifications, as long as sunlight remains limited. Whereas crossed pollination is more efficient in producing seeds, self-pollination will still produce seeds, allowing the plant to propagate.

Like other slow-growing forest plants, such as Trilliums, Blue-bead lily is extremely sensitive to grazing by White-tailed Deer.

Propagation: Usually propagated by dividing underground runners in fall or early spring, but may also be grown from seed planted immediately after ripening. Plant divisions 1 in. deep. Be careful when handling the rhizomes and roots, because they are brittle. Pulp-

Edible Uses: The young leaves of the plant are edible while still only a few inches tall. The fruit however, is mildly toxic, and is quite unpleasant tasting.

Medicinal Uses:
The rhizome contains diosgenin, a saponin steroid with estrogenic effects.The plant contains diosgenin a chemical from which progesterone is manufactured. It is anti-inflammatory and Native Americans used it to treat injuries of various kinds from bruises to burns and infections. A root tea was used as a tonic and to aid in childbirth. The leaves are cardiac and disinfectant. A poultice has been applied to open wounds, burns, ulcers, scrofulous sores and infections.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clintonia_borealis
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLBO3
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Tags Andromeda polifolia, Clintonia, Clintonia borealis, Dogberry, Flower, Flowering plant, Forest gardening, Garden centre, In Your Garden, June, Liliaceae, May, Native Americans, Operation Vigorous, Ornamental plant, Plant

Herbs & Plants

Bush Groundsel ( Baccharis halimifolia)

Post author By Mukul
Post date April 29, 2010
No Comments on Bush Groundsel ( Baccharis halimifolia)

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Botanical Name : Baccharis halimifolia
Family : Compositae/ Asteraceae
Genus : Baccharis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Tribe: Astereae
Species: B. halimifolia

Common Name: Groundsel tree; Salt marsh elder; Sea myrtle,groundsel bush, consumption weed, cotton-seed tree, groundsel tree or silverling,Eastern Baccharis,

Habitat : Eastern N. America – Massachusetts to Florida and Texas.. Open woods, thickets and borders of marshes near the coast, often in saline soils.

Description:
It is a fall flowering evergreen perennial plant of the genus Baccharis which is commonly found in the southeastern United States, although it may be found as far north as Maine. It is typically found in coastal plains and wet areas. It is dioecious — male and female flowers are found on separate plants. Shrub growing to 3.5m by 3.5m at a medium rate.

Height: 5 to 12 feet
Width: 5 to 7 feet
Texture: Medium
Form: Multi-stemmed, irregular, open, airy shrub; can become leggy
Flower/Fruit: Female plant is covered with cottony fruit that persists into early winter .

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Foliage: Alternate, simple leaves; 1 to 3″; coarsely toothed; bright green to gray-green; non-showy fall color .
Leaf: Alternate, semi-evergreen, variable in shape, obovate to narrowly oblong, some nearly diamond-shaped, 1 to 2 1/2 inches long, upper half of leaf with a few coarse teeth, leaves from upper crown and near ends of twig often lacking teeth, shiny green above, may be sticky, paler beneath.

Flower: Dioecious; both male and female flowers occur in terminal, branched clusters and appear as feathery white tufts (some purple), about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, appearing in late summer.

Fruit: A small achene tipped with long feathery white bristles (dandelion like), ripen in early fall and often in great abundance giving the plant a silvery look.

Twig: Slender, green and angled, may be sticky.
Bark: Gray, reddish brown, developing furrows and flat-topped ridges.

It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower in October. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is not self-fertile.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Cultivation :
Succeeds in a sunny position in any well-drained soil, from heavy clays to pure sands. Tolerates saline conditions and dry soils. A useful shrub for coastal situations, resisting maritime exposure. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. A fast-growing plant, it is very tolerant of pruning and can be cut right back to the base if required. The presence of this plant growing wild was supposed to indicate areas where oil might be found. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation:
Seed – no pre-treatment is required. Surface sow in pots a cold frame in the spring, do not let the compost dry out. Germination usually takes place within 1 – 2 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very easy. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, November in a frame. Easy

Medicinal Actions & Uses
Demulcent.
The plant is used as a palliative and demulcent in consumption and cough.

Other Uses:
Fuel; Hedge; Soil stabilization.
A good fast-growing hedge for exposed maritime conditions. It retains its leaves into the new year but is rather bare in late winter. Plants have an extensive root system and can be grown on sand or thin coastal soils in order to bind the soil. Resinous secretions on the leaves and wood make this a useful fuel. It is a fairly small plant though and would not be a very productive source.

Known Hazards: The plant is potentially toxic to livestck.

Resources:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/shrubs/baccharis_halimifolia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_halimifolia
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Baccharis+halimifolia
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=482

Tags Andromeda polifolia, Arrangement, Asteraceae, Asterales, Boasting, Christmas ornament, Crambe maritima, Evergreen, Flower, Flowering plant, Leaf, Leaf shape, Perennial plant, Plant, Shrub, United States, University of Alberta

Herbs & Plants

Aspilia Africana

Aspilia foliacea (Photo credit: Mauricio Mercadante)

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Botanical Name: Aspilia africana
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Genus: Aspilia
Kingdom:Plantae
Order: Asterales

Habitat: Aspilia Africana is native to Africa, Madagascar, and Latin America.

Description:
Aspilia africana is a very rapid growing, semi-woody herb producing usually annual stems about 2 metres tall from a perennial woody root-stock. It has a somewhat aromatic carroty smell. It is widely gathered from the wild and used locally in traditional medicine.

YOU MAY CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES
Historically, Aspilia africana was used in Mbaise and most Igbo speaking parts of Nigeria to prevent conception, suggesting potential contraceptive and anti-fertility properties. Leaf extract and fractions of A. africana effectively arrested bleeding from fresh wounds, inhibited microbial growth of known wound contaminants and accelerated wound healing process. Aspilia is thought to be used as herbal medicine by some chimpanzees.

Medicinal Uses:
The potentials of the leaves of the haemorrhage plant, Aspilia africana C. D Adams (Compositae) in wound care was evaluated using experimental models. A. africana, which is widespread in Africa, is used in traditional medicine to stop bleeding from wounds, clean the surfaces of sores, in the treatment of rheumatic pains, bee and scorpion stings and for removal of opacities and foreign bodies from the eyes. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the potentials for use of leaves of this plant in wound care.

The leaves of A. africana possess constituents capable of arresting wound bleeding, inhibiting the growth of microbial wound contaminants and accelerating wound healing which suggest good potentials for use in wound care.

Aspilia africana is widely used in ethnomedical practice in Africa for its ability to stop bleeding, even from a severed artery, as well as promote rapid healing of wounds and sores, and for the management of problems related to cardiovascular diseases. In the present paper, the methylene chloride/methanol extract of A. africana leaves was tested for its contractile activity in vitro. Rings of rat aorta, with or without an intact endothelium, were mounted in tissue baths, contracted with norepinephrine, and then exposed to the plant extract. The effect of the extract was also assessed on the baseline tension of aortic rings in normal and calcium-free PSS. At the lower doses, A. africana slowly re-inforced contractions induced by norepinephrine and relaxed precontracted tension at the highest concentration. The relaxant activity of the extract was endothelium-independent and was not modified by pre-treatment with Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester or indomethacin, suggesting that its effect was not mediated by either nitric oxide or prostacyclin. A. africana extract induced slow and progressive increase in the basal vascular tone which was partially endothelium-dependent. In calcium-free PSS, a high proportion of the contractile activity was inhibited (77%), suggesting that A. africana contractile activity in vascular tissue depends, in part, on extracellular calcium.
Aspilia africana (Asteraceae) is a plant currently used in Cameroon ethnomedicine for the treatment of stomach ailments. The methanol extract of the leaves of A. africana was investigated against gastric ulcerations induced by HCl/ethanol and pylorus-ligation. With both methods, the extract inhibited gastric ulcerations in a dose-related manner. Oral administration of the plant extract at the doses of 0.5 and 1 g/kg reduced gastric lesions induced by HCl/ethanol by 79 % and 97 % respectively. The extract at the dose of 1 g/kg reduced gastric lesion in the pylorus ligated rats by 52 % although the gastric acidity remained higher as compared to the control. These findings show that methanol extract of the leaves of A. africana possess potent antiulcer properties.

Africans Treat Malaria with Aspilia Africana:

Use and method of preparation:
Pound dry leaves into powder. Add two tablespoonsful of powder to half a tumpeco cup (250ml) of boiled water and take two times daily for 7 days.

You may click to see the Toxic Effect of the leaf of Aspilia Africana

Click to see the Potentials of leaves of Aspilia africana

Note: We tried to include as much information of Aspilia Africana as we could collect from the internet.As & when we get more information we will definitely mention in this blog.

Resources:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/7/24/abstract
http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:12116882
http://www.bioline.org.br/request?tc05024

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspilia

http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Aspilia+africana