Find Me A Cure

Botanical Name: Triodanis perfoliata
Family: Campanulaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Genus: Triodanis
Species: T. perfoliata

Synonyms:
*Campanula perfoliata L.
*Legousia perfoliata (L.) Britton
*Prismatocarpus perfoliatus (L.) Sweet
*Pentagonia perfoliata (L.) Kuntze
*Dysmicodon perfoliatum (L.) Nutt
*Specularia perfoliata (L.) A.DC.

Common Names: Venus’s Looking Glass, Clasping Venus’ looking-glass, Clasping bellflower

Habitat:Venus’s Looking Glass is native to North and South America, the natural range extending from Canada to Argentina. It is also naturalized in China, Korea and Australia.

Description:
Venus’s Looking Glass is an annual unbranched flowering plant. It is usually 4-12″ tall, and rarely becomes taller. The central stem is light green and deeply grooved, with lines of small white hairs along the ridges. The alternate leaves are also light green, and strongly clasp the stem. However, at the top of the stem are a pair of opposite leaves. These leaves are up to 1″ long and nearly as wide. They are broadly cordate, with wavy or dentate margins that are slightly ciliate. Along the margins, the leaves may assume a purplish color in bright sunlight. There is a milky sap in both the stem and leaves. From each leaf axil in the upper half of the plant, are 1-3 flowers, although only one of these will be in bloom at the same time. Each flower is deep violet or purple and about ½” across. It has a short tubular corolla with 5 spreading lobes. There are darker lines of purple that converge toward the throat of the flower. The throat is whiter than the rest of the flower, from which emerges a prominent white pistil and several stamens.

The blooming period occurs during the early summer and lasts about a month. There is no floral fragrance. This plant also produces self-pollinating flowers on the lower half of the stem, whose petals never open. The ovaries develop into small oval capsules, which split open into 3 parts to about the middle. This releases the numerous tiny seeds, which are lens-shaped and reddish brown. They are dispersed readily by the wind, and can be carried a considerable distance. The root system consists of a taproot.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Cultivation:
The preference is full sunlight, and mesic to slightly dry soil. This plant flourishes best in poor soil that is either gravelly or sandy. It doesn’t tolerate much competition from taller plants. Foliar disease is not a significant problem during the period of active growth and blooming, after which this plant will fade away.

Uses:
The Cherokee take a liquid compound of root for dyspepsia from overeating, and take an infusion of roots taken and use it as a bath for dyspepsia.

The Meskwaki use it as an emetic to make one “sick all day long”, and smoke it at ceremonies.

Small bees are the most common visitors of the flowers. This includes Little Carpenter bees, Plasterer bees, Green Metallic bees, and other Halictine bees. The Plasterer bee Colletes brevicornis is an oligolege of Venus’ Looking Glass. Other insect visitors include bumblebees, flies, small butterflies, and skippers. The seeds are too small to be of any interest to birds. Mammalian herbivores may consume this plant, although it is of minor importance as a food source.

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/Triodanis_perfoliata
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/venusx.htm

Botanical Name: Darmera peltata
Family: Saxifragaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Saxifragales
Genus: Darmera
Species: D. peltata

Synonyms:
*Peltiphyllum peltatum
*Saxifraga peltata Torr. ex Benth.

Common Names:Umbrella Plant, Indian rhubarb.

Habitat:Umbrella Plant is native to mountain streamsides in woodland in the western United States (southwestern Oregon to northwestern California) It grows on the banks of mountain streams below 1800 metres. By or in cold mountain stream.

Description:
Umbrella Plant is a slowly spreading rhizomatous perennial plant, growing to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall by 1 m (3 ft 3 in) wide.In late spring the flowers emerge before the leaves, with rounded cymes of numerous five-petalled white to bright pink flowers (measuring up to 1.5 cm across each) borne on flower stems up to 2m long. The leaves are peltate, rounded, deeply lobed, coarsely toothed, conspicuously veined and dark green, also on stems up to 2m in height. The leaves turn red in autumn.

In gardens, Darmera peltata flourishes in pond margins and bog gardens, where it forms an imposing umbrella-like clump. It is suited to smaller gardens where there is no room for Gunnera manicata or Gunnera tinctoria, distantly related plants that are somewhat similar in appearance, but much larger.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Cultivation& Propagation:
Seed – surface sow as soon as it is ripe or in early spring in a cold frame. Keep the soil very moist. The seed usually germinates in 1 – 3 months at 15°c. 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 in spring[31]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Edible Uses:
Young, tender leaves edible raw. Peltiphyllum peltatum, Indian rhubarb. Peeled leafstalk edible raw or cooked. … Its leaves are used similar to a bay leaf for flavoring although the flavor is different than a bay leaf.

Medicinal Uses: Not known yet.

Other Use:
Can be grown as a ground cover plant in a sunny position. Plants should be spaced about 60cm apart each way. Useful as a soil stabilizer for marshy land or muddy banks.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darmera
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Darmera+peltata

Botanical Name: Ulex gallii
Family: Fabaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Fabales
Genus: Ulex
Species: U. gallii

Synonyms: Furze. Broom. Whin. Prickly Broom. Ruffet. Frey. Goss.

Common Names: Western gorse or Dwarf furze

Habitat: Ulex gallii is native to the Atlantic coasts of western Europe: southern Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man, western France and the northern coast of Spain.

Description:
Ulex gallii is usually 10 to 50 centimetres (4 to 20 in) tall although it may grow up to 2 metres (7 ft). The stems are modified into spines, mostly about 1 centimetre (0.4 in) long, but with some regularly spaced recurved spines of about 3 centimetres (1 in). Like other members of the genus Ulex it has trifoliate leaves as a seedling, but later the leaves are reduced to small scales or spines. The stems are green, and almost wholly replace the leaves as the plant’s functioning photosynthetic organs.

The flowers are yellow, 1 to 2 centimetres (0.4 to 0.8 in) long, with the typical pea-flower structure; they are produced principally in the late summer and autumn, rarely before July. The fruit is a legume (pod), partly enclosed by the pale brown remnants of the flower.

Like many species of gorse, it can grow as a fire-climax plant, which readily catches fire but re-grows from the roots after the fire; the seeds are also adapted to germinate after slight scorching by fire.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Cultivation:
Ulex gallii is similarly capable of growing in a range of soil moisture conditions and is present growing in moist profiles where soil conditions are often maintained by some impedance to drainage in brown earths or podzolic profiles with an argillic B horizon or impervious iron?pan.This hardy plant will grow in very poor, sandy soils and acidic peat. It must have decent drainage and plenty of sun. It will grow well in exposed coastal sites, but its shape will be flattened by the wind. Mature plants are extremely drought hardy.

Edible Uses:
The bright yellow flowers can be eaten raw and can be made into a tea. The buds can be pickled and used like capers. Gorse is a useful wild food as it flowers continually all year round. Issues: Do not eat flowers in very large quantities on a regular basis as they contain slightly toxic alkaloids.
Only the flowers and flower buds are considered edible and in small quantities. The peas and pods are toxic.

Medicinal Uses:
Flowers Gorse has never played much of a role in herbal medicine, though its flowers have been used in the treatment of jaundice and as a treatment for scarlet fever in children. Seeds Said to be astringent and has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and stones.

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/Ulex_gallii
https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/gorgol31.html

Botanical Name: Aechmea fasciata
Family: Bromeliaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Poales
Genus: Aechmea
Subgenus: Aechmea subg. Platyaechmea
Species:A. fasciata

Common Names: Urn Plant, Aechmea, Silver Vase PlantUrn, Vase Plant

Habitat:Urn Plant is native to Brazil. This plant is probably the best known species in this genus, and it is often grown as a houseplant in temperate areas.

Description:
Grow in bright but filtered light as a house plant. Indoor perennial herb . The plant grows slowly, reaching 30–90 cm (12–35 in) in height, with a spread of up to 60 cm (24 in). It has elliptic–oval-shaped leaves 45–90 cm (18–35 in) long and arranged in a basal rosette pattern. They like to have moisture in the cup-like space of the whorl of leaves. Do not overwater in the winter and remove dead leaves as necessary to maintain a quality appearance. It does die after flowering but often produces pups that can be transplanted. If you would like to try to force the plant to flower place a cut apple near the plant and cover with a plastic bag for a few weeks. Keep the plant out of direct sunlight. The ethylene released from the apple should induce flowering.

In its native habitat, it will grow in the ground or in trees without taking any nourishment from the tree. This is a stemless plant that typically grows 1-3′ tall in a basal rosette of stiff, arching, broad, strap-shaped, elliptic-oval, silvery-green leaves which resemble an urn. Leaf margins have black spines. An urn plant shoot blooms only once and then dies. But the bloom is spectacular.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Uses:
It is air-feeder, collecting nourishment from water and decaying mater in the upturned cup of their leaves. Aechmea fasciata do not really use their roots other than for anchoring. Aechmea fasciata have adapted to their environment and are always arranged in a rosette, shaped to capture and hold the water.

Garden Uses:
Good flowering houseplant.

Known Hazards: Aechmea fasciata is listed in the FDA Poisonous Plant Database under the section for “Skin irritating substances in plants” and is known to cause contact dermititis, phytophoto dermatitis, and contact allergy.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aechmea_fasciata
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aechmea/
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b647

Botanical Name: Ursinia calenduliflora
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Anthemideae
Genus: Ursinia
Type species: Ursinia paradoxa

Synonyms:
*Sphenogyne R.Br.
*Ursiniopsis E.Phillips
*Chronobasis DC. ex Benth. & Hook.f.

Common Names: Namaqua parachute daisy, Springbok rock-ursinia; Bergmagriet, Berggousblom (Afrikaans).

Habitat:Ursinia calenduliflora is native to Richtersveld Mountains to Springbok and the Kamiesberg Mountains.It grows in sandy soil on rocky slopes in Namaqualand, the semi-desert region in the Northern Cape that is well known for its spectacular displays of spring flowers.

Description:
Ursinia calenduliflora is an annual herb, up to 350 mm high, with finely dissected, fresh green, hairless leaves. The flower is a large, bright orange-yellow daisy, up to 50 mm in diameter, and a single flower is produced at the tip of a long, thin flower stalk. The ray florets are sterile and orange or occasionally yellow, with a purple spot at the base. The disc florets are hermaphrodite (contain male and female reproductive structures) and are yellow. There are two different flower forms, one with a dark ring of purple spots around the yellow centre and one with no dark ring.

Flowers are produced from mid- winter to spring, (July to September), depending on the weather; in a year with good and early rains, they will start flowering in July, and if the rain persists, they could continue flowering into late spring, however, in years with little rain, the flowers will be fewer and will be produced over a shorter period. The involucral bracts are free and occur in many, densely overlapping rows, and have conspicuous membranous tips.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Uses:
Ursinia calenduliflora is not used in traditional medicine, nor is it widely grown in gardens. It is easy and rewarding to grow and a colourful bedding plant for spring display.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursinia
http://pza.sanbi.org/ursinia-calenduliflora