Tag: Dakotas

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Herbs & Plants

Sorbus scopulina

Botanical Name : Sorbus scopulina
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Sorbus
Subgenus: Sorbus
Section: Commixtae
Species: S. scopulina
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Rosales

Synonyms: Sorbus sambucifolia non Roem,   Sorbus cascadensis G.N. Jones

Common Names :Greene mountain-ash,Cascade Mountain-ash, Sorbus scopulina var. cascadensis,western mountain-ash

Habitat :Sorbus scopulina  is native to western North America, primarily in the Rocky Mountains.(Southern Alaska to northern California, mainly in the east Cascades, east to the Dakotas, and south to Utah and New Mexico)

Description:
Sorbus scopulina is a deciduous shrub or small tree ranging in height from 1 to 6 m and up to 10 cm in stem diameter. It usually has multiple stems with smooth yellowish to grayish-red bark and slender light brown twigs that are white-hairy when young. Winter buds are glutinous and glossy. The alternate leaves are 10 to 20 cm long, odd-pinnately compound with seven to 15 lanceolate leaflets that are nearly sessile, pointed, and serrate on the margins. They are thin, shiny-green above and paler beneath. Inflorescences are much-branched corymbs, 6 to 12 cm broad, that contain many 10-mm broad, white to cream, five-petaled flowers. Fruits, which  grow in clusters, are shiny, orange to red, berrylike, 5- to 10-mm-long, globose pomes with an attached calyx at the apex. Each contains up to eight flattened, brown or red-brown seeds 3 to 4 mm long (Davis 1952, Viereck and Little 1972, Welsh 1974).
CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES

 

Medicinal Uses:
An infusion of the branches has been given to young children with bed-wetting problems.  The bark is febrifuge and tonic and has been used in the treatment of general sickness.

Other Uses:
Greene’s mountain-ash is an important component of the Western shrub community and furnishes a number of benefits. The species helps protect the soil, adds to the aesthetics of wildland sites, especially with its yellow to orange-red fall  foliage and red-orange berries, and furnishes cover for wildlife. Sorbus scopulina  is planted to a limited extent as an ornamental, especially in naturalistic landscape settings. The wood is soft. It is probably useful for firewood.

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://www.cwnp.org/photopgs/sdoc/soscopulina.html

Click to access Sorbus%20scopulina.pdf

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbus_scopulina
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Tree%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/sorbus%20scopulina.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

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Botanical Name :Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Genus: Balsamorhiza
Species: B. sagittata
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales

Common Name :Balsamorrhiza sagittata

Habitat : Arrowleaf Balsamroot  is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to California to the Dakotas, where it grows in many types of habitat from mountain forests to grassland to desert scrub. It is drought tolerant.

Description:
Arrowleaf Balsamroot is a taprooted perennial herb growing a hairy, glandular stem 20 to 60 centimeters tall. The branching, barky root may extend over two meters deep into the soil. The basal leaves are generally triangular in shape and are large, approaching 50 centimeters in maximum length. Leaves farther up the stem are linear to narrowly oval in shape and smaller. The leaves have untoothed edges and are coated in fine to rough hairs, especially on the undersides.

click to see the pictures..> …(01)….…..(1).………..(2).

The inflorescence bears one or more flower heads. Each head has a center of long yellowish tubular disc florets and a fringe of bright yellow ray florets, each up to 4 centimeters long. The fruit is a hairless achene about 8 millimeters long. Grazing animals find the plant palatable, especially the flowers and developing seed heads.

Edible Uses:  All of the plant can be eaten. It can be bitter and pine-like in taste. The seeds were particularly valuable as food or used for oil

Medicinal Uses:
The root of the plant is sometimes used as an expectorant and mild immunostimulant.  Native Americans used the sticky sap as a topical antiseptic for minor wounds.  Medicinally, the Indians used the large coarse Balsamroot leaves as a poultice for burns. The roots were boiled and the solution was applied as a poultice for wounds, cuts and bruises. Indians also drank a tea from the roots for tuberculosis and whooping cough.  As an antibacterial the tincture may be applied to infections and hard to heal wounds. The tincture of the root and bark may be used internally or externally for bacterial problems. Perhaps the most common use for arrowleaf balsamroot is as an immune system enhancer. Use the tincture as you would Echinacea, taking 1 tsp. twice daily to strengthen the immune system.
Many Native American groups, including the Nez Perce, Kootenai, Cheyenne, and Salish, utilized the plant as a food and medicine.

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/Balsamorhiza_sagittata
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/images/arrowleafbalsamroot/balsamorhiza_sagittata_lg.jpg

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