Find Me A Cure - Part 37

Callitris endlicheri

Botanical Name: Callitris endlicheri
Family: Cupressaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Genus: Callitris
Species: C. endlicheri

Synonyms:

Common Names: Black cypress pine

Habitat:Callitris endlicheri is native to Australia – New South Wales, Queensland. It grows on light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils..

Description:
Callitris endlicheri is an evergreen tree with a spreading crown; it can grow up to 10 metres tall, with some trees said to reach 25 metres. It is in leaf all year.It is mostly erect, sometimes spreading branches. Bark tough and often deeply furrowed. Leaves dark green, 2-4 mm long. Seed cones solitary or several together on rather slender, usually clustered, fruiting branchlets; ovoid to globose or depressed-globose, 15-20 mm in diameter; columella variable, usually short, deeply 3-lobed or with 3 or 4 separate parts.The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant).

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Cultivation:
Prefers a dry sandy coastal soil in full sun, succeeding in poor or saline soils. A very drought tolerant plant once established. Tolerates temperatures down to -7°c in Australian gardens but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters. Plants can succeed outdoors in the very mildest areas of this country. The plants are highly inflammable and are usually killed by forest fires. However, they store their seeds in unopened cones on the tree for many years, these seeds are released after a fire and then germinate freely.

Propagation:
Through Seeds – does not require stratification, germinating at any time of the year if it becomes moist. Sow in early spring in a greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Edible Uses: Not Known.

Medicinal Uses: Anthelmintic.Used traditionally in Aboriginal and colonial pharmacopoeia.

Other Uses:
A resin obtained from the stumps of felled trees or the cut logs is used as a coating for pills. An essential oil is obtained by distillation of the fruit and twigs. It contains acetic acid, limonene, borneol and geranol. The bark contains 10 – 36% dry weight of tannin. Wood – resinous, very aromatic, very durable, brittle, very flammable, hard, close grained. Used for construction. furniture making, cabinet making, fencing, ship building etc.

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/Callitris_endlicheri?msclkid=610b1176cfa311eca3f581f2512f0b79
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Callitris+endlicheri
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261291501_Medicinal_compounds_chemically_and_biologically_characterised_from_extracts_of_Australian_Callitris_endlicheri_and_C-glaucophylla_Cupressaceae_Used_traditionally_in_Aboriginal_and_colonial_pharmacopoe

Herbs & Plants

Callirhoe involucrata

Botanical Name: Callirhoe involucrata
Family: Malvaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malvales
Genus: Callirhoe
Species: C. involucrata

Synonyms:
*Callirhoe geranioides Small
*Callirhoe lineariloba (Torr. & A.Gray) A.Gray
*Callirhoe macrostegia Hochr.
*Callirhoe palmata Buckley
*Callirhoe sidalceoides Standl.
*Callirhoe verticillata Groenl.
*Malva involucrata Torr. & A. Gray
*Malva lineariloba (Torr. & A. Gray) M.J. Young

Common Names: Purple poppy-mallow, Poppy Mallow, Winecup, Finger Poppy Mallow

Habitat: Callirhoe involucrata is native to the United States and northern Mexico. It grows in dry soils on the plains. Sandy, eroding dry ground and roadsides in Texas.

Description:
Callirhoe involucrata is a perennial herb, growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a medium rate.
It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).

The rounded, hairy leaves are deeply palmately lobed, and unlike most heat and drought-tolerant plants, are deep green rather than grey or silver. In spring, the foliage emerges from the long, woody tap root that can be up to 5 inches in diameter, with the ground-hugging stems eventually growing about 3 feet long.

The magenta-colored, chalice-shaped flowers are 1½ -2½ inches wide with a white spot at the base of the five petals. The solitary, upward-facing blossoms open in the morning, close in the evening and remain closed after pollination. Fruits consist of 15-25 kidney-shaped segments stacked together, with each segment containing a single seed.

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Cultivation:
Callirhoe involucrata prefers a light rich sandy loam and a sunny position. Likes a hot dry position[200], growing well on a dry sunny bank. This species is hardy to about -15°c. A deep-rooting plant[235], it strongly resents root disturbance and should be planted into its final position as soon as possible. Slugs are strongly attracted to this plant and can destroy even established plants by eating out all the young shoots in spring. Special Features: North American native, Naturalizing, Extended bloom season in Zones 9A and above. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 7 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of “heat days” experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form – tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread . The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down.

Propagation:
Through seed – sow outdoors or in a cold frame. Plants resent root disturbance so the seed is best sown in situ in April, though the slugs will have a field day if you do not protect the plants. If seed is in short supply then sow it in pots in a cold frame, putting a few seeds in each pot, and plant the pots out in early summer once the plants have put on at least 15cm of growth. Germination usually takes place within 1 – 6 months at 15°c. Cuttings of young basal shoots in a frame in sand. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Division. With care since the plant resents root disturbance. We have found that it is best not to disturb this plant and so do not try to divide it, relying instead on taking basal cuttings since these do not disturb the main clump.

Edible Uses:
Roots are cooked and eaten. The root is long and tapering, it is sweet and starchy with a pleasant taste somewhat like that of a sweet potato. Leaves are cooked and eaten. A pleasant flavour with a mucilaginous texture, they are good for thickening soups also.

Medicinal Uses:
A decoction of the root is used to treat internal pain. The root was also dried, then burnt and the smoke either inhaled or allowed to bathe the affected part of the body.

Other Uses:The plant is used in landscaping. Border, Ground cover, Rock garden.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callirhoe_involucrata
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Callirhoe+involucrata
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/winecups-callirhoe-involucrata/

Herbs & Plants

Callicarpa americana

Botanical Name: Callicarpa americana
Family: Lamiaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Lamiales
Genus: Callicarpa
Species: C. americana

Common Names: American Beautyberry, Beautyberry, French Mulberry, American Beautyberry

Habitat: Callicarpa americana is native to Southern United States. and C. americana extends from Maryland to Florida, west to Texas and Arkansas, and also Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Cuba. It grows on the Woodland Garden Dappled Shade.

Description:
Callicarpa americana is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1.8 m (6ft) at a slow rate. It can reach 9 ft. in height in favorable soil and moisture conditions.. It is in flower from June to July. The berries ripen in September through October. It has long, arching branches and yellow-green fall foliage, but its most striking feature is the clusters of glossy, iridescent-purple fruit (sometimes white) which hug the branches at leaf axils in the fall and winter. Bark light brown on the older wood, reddish brown on younger wood. Bark smooth, with elongate, raised corky areas (lenticels); twigs round to 4 sided, covered with branched hairs visible under a l0x hand lens. Leaves in pairs or in threes, blades half as wide as long and up to 9 inches long, ovate to elliptic, pointed or blunt at the tip and tapered to the base; margins coarsely toothed except toward the base and near the tip, teeth pointed or rounded; lower surface of young leaves covered with branched hairs. Flowers small, pink, in dense clusters at the bases of the leaves, clusters usually not exceeding the leaf petioles. Fruit distinctly colored, rose pink or lavender pink, berrylike, about 1/4 inch long and 3/16 inch wide, in showy clusters, persisting after the leaves have fallen.

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Cultivation:
Callicarpa americana requires a sunny position or light dappled shade[1, 200]. Prefers a highly fertile well-drained loamy soil. This species is hardy to about -18°c according to one report whilst another says that it is only really hardy in the milder parts of Britain, though some forms should prove to be hardier. Requires cross-pollination for good fruit production. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Special Features: Attracts birds, North American native, Fragrant foliage, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.

Propagation:
Through seeds – sow February in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 – 3 months at 18°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood 10cm long, July/August in a frame. High percentage. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season’s growth with a heel taken in early spring.

Edible Uses:
Fruits are edible, eaten – raw. Juicy, sweet, fleshy, slightly aromatic. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter.

Medicinal Uses:
A decoction of the root bark has been used as a diuretic. The leaves are a cure for dropsy. A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of dysentery and stomach aches. A tea made from the roots and berries is used in the treatment of colic. Some native North American Indian tribes used the leaves and roots in sweat baths for the treatment of malaria, rheumatism and fevers.

Other Uses:
The fruits are favorite among wild bird species including cardinals, mockingbirds, finches, woodpeckers and more. Beautyberry is commonly planted in landscape designs to attract wildlife because of the food source the berries provide and the cover animals get from the shrub itself. Foliage is a favorite of White-tailed Deer.

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/Callicarpa_americana
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Callicarpa+americana

Herbs & Plants

Barringtonia procera

Botanical Name: Barringtonia procera
Family: Lecythidaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ericales
Genus: Barringtonia

Synonyms:
*Huttum Adans., rejected name
*Commercona Sonn.
*Menichea Sonn.
*Butonica Lam.
*Stravadium Juss.
*Meteorus Lour.

Common Names: Pao nuts, Cut nut

Other Names: Aikenu, Alingasa, Fala, Falanganoa,Fara, Hala, Hara, Katnat, Kenu, Kino, Kinu, Manavasa, Navele, Nofe, Nuwa, Nyia, Oneve, Tamalivi, Tinge, Tinghe, Tuhala fara, Vele

Habitat:Barringtonia procera is native to Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It grows in the secondary rainforests at low elevations. Usually associated with human activity, in old gardens, mature coconut plantations, and coastal villages, and in remnants of secondary lowland rainforests.

Description:
Barringtonia procera is a medium-size fast growing, evergreen tree up to 24 m high but often range between 8-12 m with a crown diameter of 0.8–6 m and mature tree dbh of 2-45 cm. The tree produces a vigorous framework of branches following the formation of the terminal inflorescences.

Leaves are large, simple, lanceolate and arranged in a whorl at each node. Leaf size varies, typically measuring 21.5–66 cm long and 5–20 cm wide.
The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and glossy; the lower surface is slightly paler. Typically, the leaf has a truncated base and an
acuminated apex, with undulated margins.

Inflorescence racemose with a 30–110 cm long pendulous spike containing up to 150 densely packed flower buds, arranged in spirally alternate pattern, and varying in colors, typically from green to white or red. Flowering is terminal on the shoots. Flower buds are semisessile to
sessile and are protected by a calyx closed in the bud, which ruptures into two to four pseudolobes.

Fruits are multiple, sessile, elongated, oblong to obovoid, tapering toward the apex and base, and borne on a pendulous rachis. At maturity they are indehiscent, but the skin can be easily peeled off when ripe. Length of a mature fruit varies between 25–95 mm.

Seed or kernel is contained in a fibrous, white to purplish, cylindrical, eightsided endocarp shell (prominent when exocarp and mesocarp are removed).
Bark is smooth at early stages of growth but becomes fissured as the trees grow older. Large lenticels up to 5 mm across are present.
The tree has a relatively shallow taproot and a well formed network of lateral roots, concentrated in the topsoil layer.

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Cultivation:
Barringtonia procera is a plant of lowland wet tropical, moist topical and wet subtropical climatic zones, it can be found at elevations up to 600 metres. The plant grows in areas where the mean annual temperature is around 27c, with the hottest moth around 29 – 34c and the coolest 20 – 23c. It cannot tolerate even light frosts. The mean annual rainfall is within the range 1,500 – 4,300mm, usually with a year-round distribution, sometimes with a short dry season. Prefers a position in partial shade, though it can tolerate full sun. It grows in moderate to highly fertile, coastal coral soils with light to heavy textures, tolerating rocky, shallow, saline and infertile soils The tree grows well in coastal soils high in pH (up to 8.5), but it does not tolerate waterlogged soils. It has medium to high tolerance of steady and strong winds including cyclones. Branches and twigs do not easily snap, but they may be broken off by strong winds. The trees rarely suffer from windthrow due to their height, open canopy structure, and good lateral rooting system. Generally, the tree grows moderately quickly, but this varies significantly depending upon trees and growth conditions. The mean annual increment (MAI) for height of trees up to 5 years is 62cm; thereafter the MAI increased to about 1 metre annually for the next 5 years. Thirty-year-old trees had an average MAI of about 1.4 metres. Diameter at breast height appears to be relatively uniform with age. Trees aged 5, 10 , 15 , and 20 years old have all attained an MAI for diameter at breast height on the order of 14 – 16cm. Trees begin flowering as early as 1.5 years (dwarf variety), although the average is probably 3 years. The tree can flower and produce fruit all year round. Annual yields of the seeds is estimated at 1.5 – 7 kilos per tree. By the age of 20 years trees can yield 370 – 550 kilos of seeds per hectare. Trees coppice and pollard well, with young leafy shoots regrowing rapidly following cutting. Stumps as short as 10cm coppice well.

Propagation: Through seeds – best sown as soon as it is ripe.

Edible uses: Seed and young leaves are edible. The seed kernel inside the hard shell inside the fruit is about 30mm by 15 – 20mm wide. Young leaves – cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Medicinal Uses:
The bark is used in the treatment of stomach ailments and gonorrhoea. Sap from the bark has been used for treating ciguatera poisoning, coughs, and urinary infections. The leaves are used to treat inflammation of the ear and headaches.

Other Uses:
The tree prefers light shade, which makes it a good companion to overstorey tree species such as vi (Spondias cyathera), canarium nut (Canarium spp.), and breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis). Its open canopy structure allows sufficient light penetration to the ground level for other crops such as roots, cereals and other understorey crops such as sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and a nutritious native leafy tree spinach called bele or edible hibiscus (Abelmoschus manihot), to be interplanted under it. It has been used as a trellis tree for the cash crop betel leaf (Piper betle),as well as for marking land boundaries and creating windbreaks. The tree has a well formed lateral root system, yet does not appear to cause major impediments during soil preparation for understory crops, e.g., making mounds for the root crops, nor does it seem to compete heavily with understory crops. It can be used in plantations to provide shade for tree crops such as cacao (Theobroma cacao), joint fir (Gnetum gnemon), and betel nut (Areca catechu). The wood is light in weight. It is used for canoe paddles, casing, light construction. The wood is used as a quick-burning firewood.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barringtonia
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Barringtonia+procera
http://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Barringtonia_procera.PDF

Herbs & Plants

Berberis amurensis

Botanical Name: Berberis amurensis
Family: Berberidaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ranunculales
Genus: Berberis
Species: B. amurensis

Synonyms:
*Berberis amurensis f. bretschneideri (Rehder) Ohwi
*Berberis amurensis var. brevifolia Nakai
**Berberis amurensis f. brevifolia (Nakai) Ohwi
*Berberis amurensis var. japonica (Regel) Rehder

Common Names: Amur barberry

Habitat: Berberis amurensis is native to native to Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East, and parts of China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi). It is named for the Amur River, which forms part of the boundary between Russia and China. It grows on the thickets, sparse forests, valleys, forest margins, streamsides, sides of rocks; at elevations from 1,100 – 2,900 metres

Description:
Berberis amurensis is a shrub. It grows up to 350 cm tall with spines up to 20 mm long on the smaller branches. Leaves are elliptical, paper-thin, up to 10 cm long. Flowers are borne in groups of up to 25. Berries are red, oblong, about 10 mm long and 6mm wide.

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Cultivation:
Prefers a warm moist loamy soil and light shade but it is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
This species is closely allied to Berberis vulgaris, it hybridizes freely with other members of the genus.
Plants can be pruned back quite severely and will resprout well from the base.
Some Berberis species (especially Berberis vulgaris) harbour the black stem-rust fungus (Puccinia graminis Persoon). This is a major disease of wheat and barley crops and can spread from infected barberries to the grain crop. The sale or transport of susceptible or untested species of Berberis is illegal in the United States and Canada. This species has been found to be susceptible to the disease.

Propagation:
Through seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, when it should germinate in late winter or early spring. Seed from over-ripe fruit will take longer to germinate, whilst stored seed may require cold stratification and should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as possible. The seedlings are subject to damping off, so should be kept well ventilated. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame. If growth is sufficient, it can be possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the autumn, but generally it is best to leave them in the cold frame for the winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.

Edible Uses: Fruits are edible. They are cooked. A sharp, acid flavour. Used in preserves and confections.

Medicinal Uses:
The root is antirheumatic.

The alkaloid berberine, which is universally present in the roots and stems of Berberis species, has marked antibacterial effects. Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it is used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery.
It should not be used in combination with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) because this nullifies the effects of the berberine.
Berberine has also shown antitumour activity.

Other Uses:
The roots and wood of all Berberis species contain alkaloids and, when cut open, are a strong yellow colour. This has been utilized by various cultures to make a yellow dye for cloth etc.

Known Hazards:
All parts of the plant contain the alkaloid berberine – this is most concentrated in the roots, stems and inner bark, and least concentrated in the fruits. In small quantities berberine has a range of effective medicinal applications but, in excess, can cause vomiting, lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, lethargy, and other ill-effects.
The fruit of most, if not all, members of this genus are more or less edible and can be eaten in quantity since the levels of berberine in the fruit are very low.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis_amurensis
http://temperate.theferns.info/plant/Berberis+amurensis