Category: Herbs & Plants

Comptonia peregrina asplenifolia

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 30, 2015
1 Comment on Comptonia peregrina asplenifolia

Botanical Name : Comptonia peregrina asplenifolia
Kingdom: Plantae
Family: Myricaceae
Genus: Comptonia
Species: C. peregrina
Order: Fagales

Synonyms: C. asplenifolia. Myrica asplenifolia.

Common Name: Sweetfern or Sweet-fern ( a confusing name as it is not a fern.)

Habitat : Comptonia peregrina asplenifolia is native to Eastern North America. It grows in dry, sterile, sandy to rocky soils in pinelands or pine barrens, clearings, pastures or edges of woodlots from sea level to 1800 metres.
Description:
Comptonia peregrina asplenifolia is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1.2 m (4ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in).
It is in flower from Mar to April. The leaves of the plant are linear to lanceolate, 3–15 centimetres (1.2–5.9 in) long and 0.3–3 centimetres (0.12–1.18 in) broad, with a modified dentate, pinnately lobed margin; they give off a sweet odor, especially when crushed. The flowers are imperfect, meaning that no one flower has both gender parts. It tends to grow on dry sandy sites, and is associated with pine stands.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES
The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant)It can fix Nitrogen.

Cultivation:
Requires a peaty or light loam lime-free soil. Requires an acid well-drained soil of low to medium fertility in partial shade but tolerates full sun if the soil does not dry out in the summer. Tolerates dry sandy soils when grown in the shade. A very ornamental plant, it is hardy to at least -25°c. This form is probably no more than a phenotypic variant of the species that is found growing in harsh conditions. The crushed leaves are very aromatic, their scent is most noticeable in the early morning and the evening. The scent increases when the leaves are dried. This species is somewhat intolerant of root disturbance and should be planted out into its permanent position whilst small. Suckering freely, this plant is well suited to clothing banks on soils of low fertility. It has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagation:
Seed – it has a very tough seed coat and also contains germination inhibitors and so is very difficult to germinate. It is probably best to harvest the seed ‘green’ (after the seed has fully developed but before it dries on the plant) and sow immediately in a cold frame. If the seed has been stored then soaking in hot water for 24 hours will leach out some of the inhibitors and also help to soften the seed coat. Scarification will also help as will a period of cold stratification. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Root cuttings, 4cm long December in a frame. Plant the root horizontally. High percentage. Suckers removed in the dormant season and potted up or planted into their permanent positions. Plants can be difficult to move successfully. Layering in spring

Edible Uses:
Edible Parts: Fruit.
Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.

The young fruits are eaten as a pleasant nibble. The aromatic leaves, fresh or dried, are used to make a palatable tea. The leaves are also used as a seasoning.

Medicinal Uses:
Sweet fern was employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it especially as a poultice to treat a variety of complaints. It is still used for most of the same purposes in modern herbalism. The leaves are astringent, blood purifier, expectorant and tonic. A tea made from the leaves and flowering tops is used as a remedy for diarrhoea, headache, fevers, catarrh, vomiting of blood, rheumatism etc. The infusion has also been used to treat ringworm. The leaves have also been used as a poultice for toothaches, sprains etc. A cold water infusion of the leaves has been used externally to counter the effect of poison ivy and to bathe stings, minor haemorrhages etc. The leaves are harvested in early summer and dried for later use
Other Uses:
Incense; Lining; Parasiticide; Repellent.

The leaves are used as a lining in baskets etc in order to preserve the fruit. The crushed leaves repel insects. They can be thrown onto a camp fire to keep mosquitoes away. The dried leaves have been burnt as an incense

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

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Comptonia+peregrina+asplenifolia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comptonia

Tags Alpine plant, Asia, China, China Huadian Corporation, Climate change, Correspondent, Economic Development, Elevation, Fossil-fuel power station, Plant

Herbs & Plants

Calotropis procera

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 29, 2015

Botanical Name : Calotropis procera
Family: Asclepiadaceae
Genus: Calotropis
Species: C. procera
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Gentianales

Common Names ; Calotrope, Apple of Sodom, Sodom apple, Stabragh, Kapok tree, King’s crown, Rubber bush, or Rubber tree, Akund Crown flower and Dead Sea Fruit

Bengali Name : Akondo

Habitat :Calotropis procera is native to North Africa, Tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina.
CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Description:
Calotropis procera is a woody perennial shrub or tree with cork-like bark that carries white or lavender flowers. The branches are twisting and cork-like in texture. The plant has ash colored bark covered with white fuzz. The plant has silver-green large leaves that grow opposite on the stems. The flowers grow at the tops of apical stems and produce fruits....CLICK & SEE

The fruit of Calotropis procera is oval and curved at the ends of the pods. The fruit is also thick and, when opened, it is the source of thick fibers that have been made into rope and used in a multitude of ways…....CLICK & SEE

Chemical properties:
The milky sap contains a complex mix of chemicals, some of which are steroidal heart poisons known as “cardiac aglycones”. These belong to the same chemical family as similar chemicals found in foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea). The steroidal component includes an hydroxyl group in the C3(bita) position, a second attached to the C14 carbon, a C/D-cis ring junction and an (alpha,bita)-unsaturated-v-lactone in the C17 position. In the plants, the steroidal component is commonly attached via a glycosidic link to a 2-desoxy or a 2,6-didesoxy sugar molecule. The features described are those required for toxicity but in addition there can be other substitutions into the steroid nucleus. These can be a C19-aldehyde in place of the more usual methyl group in this position as well as additional hydroxyl functions and sometimes epoxide structures.

In the case of the Calotropis glycosides, their names are calotropin, calotoxin, calactin, uscharidin and voruscharin (the latter two involve rare sugars with nitrogen and sulphur in the structures). The steroidal moiety (known as “calotropagenin”, formula C23H32O6) has one of the more unusual structures. The C-19 formyl (CHO) group is present and there is an additional secondary alcohol as well as the common C3 and C14 hydroxyl functions. The position of this third hydroxyl function remains in some doubt. It was apparently established by the Swiss group under Thadeus Reichstein as being in the C2 position with an equatorial configuration. However, this assignment does not explain some of the known features and behaviours of this molecule, in particular the absence of spin-spin coupling of the two axial protons associated with their geminal hydroxyl groups and the failure to react with iodate in a cleavage reaction which the presence of such a viscinal 1,2-diol would require.
Medicinal Uses:
Calotropis procera is considered a weed in its native India but has also been used traditionally as a medicinal plant. Ayurvedic medicine is a traditional Indian practice of healing. The Indian Journal of Pharmacology has produced a study on the effectiveness of extracted latex from Calotropis upon fungal infections caused by Candida. These infections usually lead to morbidity and are common in India so the promise of properties in Calotropis procera is welcome news.

Mudar root bark is the common form of Calotropis procera that is found in India. It is made by drying the root and then removing the cork bark. In India the plant is also used to treat leprosy and elephantiasis. Mudar root is also used for diarrhea and dysentery.

In India it has been used as a remedy for dysentery, diarrhea and other conditions, and topically for eczema. It has also long been used in India for abortive and suicidal purposes. Mudar root-bark is very largely used there as a treatment for elephantiasis and leprosy, and is efficacious in cases of chronic eczema.
Other Uses:
The wood yields a fibrous substance that is used for rope, fishing line and thread. It also has tannins, latex, rubber and a dye that are used in industrial practices.

Calotropis procera grows as a weed in many areas of India, but it is also purposefully planted. The plant’s root system has been shown to break up and cultivate cropland. It is a useful green manure and will be planted and plowed in before the “real” crop is sown.

Calotropis procera improves soils nutrients and improves moisture binding, an important property in some of the more arid croplands of India. The plant is tolerant of dry and salty conditions and can easily be established in over cultivated areas to help improve the soil conditions and reinvigorate the land.

The green globes are hollow but the flesh contains a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter and turns into a gluey coating resistant to soap.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calotropis_procera
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/calotropis/calotropis-procera.htm
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm

Tags Americas, Carnivore, Carnivorous plant, Drosera, Pineapple, Plant, Truro, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Venus Flytrap, Window

Herbs & Plants

Coreopsis tinctoria

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Botanical Name : Coreopsis tinctoria
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Coreopsis
Species: C. tinctoria
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales

Common Name : Coreopsis, Golden tickseed, Atkinson’s tickseed, Dyer’s Coreopsis, Plains Coreopsis, Annual Coreops

Habitat : Coreopsis tinctoria is native to Central and Eastern N. America – Minnesota to Texas . It grows in moist low ground. Roadsides and waste places.

Description:
Coreopsis tinctoria is an annual plant, growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a medium rate. It is in leaf 11-Apr . Leaves are pinnately-divided, glabrous and tending to thin at the top of the plant where numerous 1- to 1.5-inch (2.5-to 4-cm) flower heads sit atop slender stems. It is in flower from Jun to September, and the seeds ripen from Jun to October. Flower heads are brilliant yellow with maroon or brown disc florets of various sizes. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.It is noted for attracting wildlife. The small, slender seeds germinate in fall (overwintering as a low rosette) or early spring. …...CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES
Cultivation:
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Foundation, Massing, Specimen. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Prefers a fertile well-drained moisture retentive medium soil. Does well in sandy soils. Requires a sunny position. Established plants are drought resistant. A good bee plant. Special Features: Attracts birds, North American native, Naturalizing, Wetlands plant, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers.

Propagation :
Seed – sow March in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient seed then it can also be sown in situ outdoors.

Edible Uses: ……. Coffee……This variety was formerly used to make a hot beverage until the introduction of coffee by traders. Women also use a infusion of whole plant of this variety, except for the root if they desire female babies.

Medicinal Uses:
Native Americans chewed the leaves for toothache, and applied a poultice of them to skin sores and bruises. The powdered root in warm water was used as a wash for sore eyes. A tea made of the root was used for stomachache, diarrhea, and fever. This plant is an effective astringent and hemostatic, with its effects lasting the length of the intestinal tract and therefore of use in dysentery and general intestinal inflammations. It may be used as a systemic hemostatic; when drunk after a sprain or major bruise or hematoma will help stabilize the injury and facilitate quicker healing. The tea will also lessen menstrual flow. A few leaves in a little water or a weak tea is a soothing eyewash.
Other Uses:
The Zuni people use the blossoms of the tinctoria variety to make a mahogany red dye for yarn.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_coreopsis
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Coreopsis+tinctoria
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm

Tags Ad hominem, Allergic rhinitis, Ambrosia psilostachya, Carnivore, Carnivorous plant, Drosera, Plant, Pseudanthium, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Venus Flytrap

Herbs & Plants

Veratrum californicum

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Botanical Name: Veratrum californicum
Family: Melanthiaceae
Genus: Veratrum
Species: V. californicum
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Liliales

Common Names: California corn lily, white or California false hellebore

Habitat : Veratrum californicum is native to mountain meadows at 3500 to 11,000 ft elevation in southwestern North America, the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains, and as far north as Washington State and as far south as Durango. It grows in swamps, creek bottoms, moist woodlands and meadows, from lowland to the sub-alpine zone.

Description:
Veratrum californicum is a perennial plant. It grows 1 to 2 meters tall, with an erect, unbranched, heavily leafy stem resembling a cornstalk. It prefers quite moist soil, and can cover large areas in dense stands near streams or in wet meadows. It is in flower from Aug to September. Many inch-wide flowers cluster along the often-branched top of the stout stem; they have 6 white tepals, a green center, 6 stamens, and a 3-branched pistil (see image below). The buds are tight green spheres. The heavily veined, bright green leaves can be more than a foot long. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, lepidoptera....CLICK & SEE

Veratrum californicum displays mast seeding; populations bloom and seed little in most years, but in occasional years bloom and seed heavily in synchrony.

The plant has become a local Fourth of July parade tradition in Crested Butte, Colorado, where it locally referred to as “skunk cabbage.”

Varieties:
*Veratrum californicum var. californicum – from Washington to Durango..…..CLICK & SEE

*Veratrum californicum var. caudatum (A.Heller) C.L.Hitchc. – Idaho, Washington, Oregon, N California….CLICK & SEE

Cultivation:
Requires a deep fertile moisture retentive humus-rich soil. Succeeds in full sun if the soil does not dry out but prefers a position in semi-shade. Dislikes dry soils. Grows best in a cool woodland garden or a north facing border. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. Plants are long-lived and can be left in the same position for years without attention.

Propagation:
Unless stored in damp sand at around 4°c the seed has a short viability. Where possible it is best to sow the seed in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed needs to be stratified but can be very slow to germinate. Germination can be erratic even for seed sown when it was fresh, it usually takes place within 3 – 12 months at 15°c but can be much longer. The plant produces just one seedleaf in its first year, this forms an over-wintering bulb. It takes up to 10 years for the plant to reach maturity. Sow the seed thinly so there is no need to thin or transplant them, and grow the seedlings on undisturbed in the pot for their first two years of growth. Apply a liquid feed at intervals through the growing season to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. At the end of the second year plant out the dormant plants into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for a further year or two before planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Division in March/April or in October. Establish the plants in pots in a shaded frame before planting them out. Division is best carried out in the autumn because the plants come into growth very early in the spring. Root cuttings, 6mm long with a bud, rooted in a sandy soil in a cold frame.

Medicinal Uses:

Although a very poisonous plant, California false hellebore was often employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it mainly as an external application to treat wounds etc. It also had quite a reputation as a contraceptive. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism. Any use of this plant, especially internal use, should be carried out with great care and preferably only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. The root is analgesic, disinfectant and febrifuge. A decoction has been used in the treatment of venereal disease. The roots have been grated then chewed and the juice swallowed as a treatment for colds. A poultice of the mashed raw root has been used as a treatment for rheumatism, boils, sores, cuts, swellings and burns. The dried and ground up root has been used as a dressing on bruises and sores. A poultice of the chewed root has been applied to rattlesnake bites to draw out the poison. The powdered root has been rubbed on the face to allay the pain of toothache. A decoction of the root has been taken orally by both men and women as a contraceptive. A dose of one teaspoon of this decoction three times a day for three weeks is said to ensure permanent sterility in women.

Use as prime material for medical drugs:
Cyclopamine extracted from V. californicum is being used in anti-cancer experimental drugs. One derivative of it, compound name IPI-926, is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of various types of cancer, including hard-to-treat hematologic malignancies, chondrosarcoma, and pancreatic cancer. IPI-926 is the only compound in development/testing that is not fully synthetic
Other Uses:…....Disinfectant; Insecticide…….The dried and powdered root is used as an insecticide and a parasiticide. It is also effective against caterpillars and mammals so great caution is advised

Known Hazards:... All parts of the plant are highly poisonous. The flowers are poisonous to insects, including bees.
Teratogenic effects:
It is a source of jervine and cyclopamine, teratogens which can cause prolonged gestation associated with birth defects such as holoprosencephaly and cyclopia in animals such as sheep, horses, and other mammals that graze upon it. These substances inhibit the hedgehog signaling pathway.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veratrum_californicum
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Veratrum+californicum

Tags Associated Press, Avaceratops, Bee, Bumblebee, Colorado, Montana, Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, Rocky Mountains, The Gazette (Colorado Springs), Woodland Park

Herbs & Plants

Diervilla lonicera

Botanical Name: Diervilla lonicera
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Genus: Diervilla
Species: D. lonicera
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Dipsacales

Synonyms : D. canadensis. Willd. D. humilis. Pers.

Common Names: Bush Honeysuckle, Northern bush honeysuckle ( low bush honeysuckle, dwarf bush honeysuckle, yellow-flowered upright honeysuckle)

Habitat ; Diervilla lonicera is native to eastern N. America – Newfoundland to Florida. It grows in dry gravelly soils in woodlands.

Description:
Diervilla lonicera is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a medium rate. This particular species is known for the following characteristics: branches lying close to the ground, fibrous roots, pale yellow flowers, and dry, woody fruit. It’s simple leaves are placed in an opposite arrangement. As the seasons change, so do the leaves’ colours: initially green, the leaf gradually deepens to a dark red. The flowers are in full bloom between early July and early August; the woody seeds are fully matured by September in preparation for dispersal.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Diervilla lonicera has protogynous flowers (initially female-dominant plant), is well-adapted for pollination, and its stigmas remain receptive after anthesis (fully functioning flower)

Cultivation:
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Ground cover, Massing, Rock garden, Woodland garden. Succeeds in a moist fertile well-drained soil and is not fussy as to soil type. Succeeds in full sun or partial shade. Plants are hardy to about -30°c. This species is a spreading suckering plant, it makes a useful understorey planting in woodlands. Any pruning can be carried out in the winter or after flowering. 2 or 3 year old stems can be removed in order to promote a more shapely bush. Flowers are produced on the current seasons growth. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Special Features: North American native, Attractive flowers or blooms.

Propagation :
Seed – we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if possible, otherwise in late winter or early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of suckers in the spring. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood, late autumn in a frame.
Medicinal Uses:
Diuretic; Galactogogue; Laxative; Narcotic; Ophthalmic.

The leaves are diuretic. A compound decoction has been used in the treatment of stomach aches. This contrasts with a report that the leaves contain a narcotic principle, inducing nausea. The plant is used as a gargle in catarrhal angina. The root is diuretic, galactogogue, laxative and ophthalmic. A cooled infusion has been used as an eyewash for sore eyes. The bark is laxative and ophthalmic. An infusion has been used to increase milk flow in a nursing mother and as an eyewash for sore eyes.

Other Uses:….Soil stabilization…….The plants stoloniferous habit makes it useful for soil stabilization on banks and slopes

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

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diervilla_lonicera
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diervilla+lonicera