Tag: Magnoliopsida

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Grindelia nuda var. aphanactis

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Botanical Name : Grindelia nuda var. aphanactis
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower or  Aster family Family)
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom :Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division:Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class:Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales
Genus: Grindelia Willd. – gumweed
Species : Grindelia nuda Alph. Wood – curlytop gumweed

Common English Names: Curlytop Gumweed,Yerba del Buey

Habitat :Grindelia nuda var. aphanactis occurs in California, Utah, and Colorado south into Trans-Pecos Texas and Mexic

Description:
Grindelia nuda var. aphanactis is probably a perennial shurb, 15-250+ cm (taprooted, rhizomatous in G. oölepis). Stems (1-6+) usually erect , sometimes ascending or decumbent to prostrate , simple or branched, glabrous or hairy , often gland-dotted and/or resinous . Leaves basal and cauline or mostly cauline; alternate; petiolate (proximal ) or sessile (distal) ; cauline blades 1-nerved, oblong , obovate , oblanceolate , or spatulate to triangular, lanceolate, or linear (bases usually clasping ), margins usually serrate to dentate , sometimes entire, crenate , or pinnatifid (especially proximal), faces usually glabrous and gland-dotted, sometimes hirsutulous , hirtellous, puberulous , scabridulous , villous , or stipitate-glandular . Heads radiate or discoid , in corymbiform to paniculiform arrays or borne singly. Involucres usually globose to hemispheric or broadly urceolate , sometimes campanulate to obconic, 5-25+ mm diam. (excluding phyllary apices). Phyllaries (persistent ) 25-100+ in (3-) 4-9+ series, 1-nerved or obscurely so (± flat, proximally and/or medially thickened), mostly filiform , linear, or lanceolate, usually unequal, sometimes subequal , bases usually ± chartaceous (apices ± herbaceous, looped, hooked , patent , recurved, straight, or incurved ), abaxial faces usually glabrous and ± resinous. Receptacles flat or convex , ± pitted (pits sometimes flanked by membranous or setiform enations ), epaleate. Ray florets 0 or 5-60+, pistillate , fertile ; corollas yellow to orange. Disc florets (20-) 100-200(-300+), bisexual and fertile (all or outer) or functionally staminate (ovaries not producing cypselae) corollas yellow, tubes shorter than gradually to abruptly ampliate throats , lobes 5, erect or spreading , ± deltate (equal) ; style-branch appendages linear or lanceolate to ± deltate. Cypselae (whitish or stramineous to gray, brown, or reddish) ellipsoid to obovoid , ± compressed , sometimes ± 3-4-angled (apices smooth, coroniform , or knobby), faces smooth , striate , ribbed , furrowed , or rugose , glabrous; pappi falling, of (1-) 2-8[-15], straight or contorted to curled, smooth or barbellulate to barbellate , sometimes distally clavate , subulate scales , setiform awns, or bristles in 1 series (in G. ciliata, persistent or tardily falling, of 25-40 barbellate bristles subtending 8-15+ barbellate, setiform awns or subulate scales). x = 6.
CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Medicinal Uses:
Pharmaceutical uses include waxes and resins, and a source of acids and alkaloids used for kidney problems, skin abrasions, and sores. Sticky blossoms can be placed on an aching tooth. As a balsamic bitter tea, the flowering tops are widely used for sore throat and incipient chest colds; and combined with yerba santa and honey as an expectorant.  The sticky flowers, boiled are used to treat bladder and urethral infections. It is effective but intensely bitter. The flowers, boiled in lard are a stimulating salve for burns and slowly healing ulcers.  It is also used internally and externally to treat bites caused by red ants.  The sticky juice can hold cuts together until they heal.

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://museum2.utep.edu/chih/gardens/plants/GtoM/grindelianuda.htm
http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/G/Grindelia_boliviana/
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GRNU
http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=13119
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Achillea ageratum

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Botanical Name :Achillea ageratum
Family : Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus : Achillea L. – yarrow
Species: Achillea ageratum L. – sweet-Nancy
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom:Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order : Asterales

Common Name Mace, Sweet Yarrow

Habitat ;The origin of this plant is uncertain, it is possibly a hybrid, A. ptarmica x A. macrocephala. Grows in Europe – Greece

Description;
Achillea ageratum is a perennial herb, growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in).
It is  not frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to September, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
YOU MAY CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES
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..It cannot grow in the shade.It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Cultivation:
Succeeds in most soils but prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position. It also succeeds in partial shade. Plants live longer in a poor soil. Established plants are very drought tolerant, they can show distress in very severe droughts but usually recover. Plants succeed in maritime gardens. Hardy to about -20°c. An excellent plant to grow in a large pot, the long stems will tend to arch down and continue to flower for a long time. The leaves have a pungent aroma, especially when the plant is grown in a hot sunny position. The plant is intermediate between A. millefolium and A. ptarmica in its characteristics. There is at least one named variety, selected for its ornamental value. Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus.

Propagation :
Seed – sow spring or early autumn in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 1 – 3 months. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If this species is a hybrid it might not breed true from seed. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, the divisions can be planted direct into their permanent positions. Basal cuttings of new shoots in spring. Very easy, collect the shoots when they are about 10cm tall, potting them up individually in pots and keeping them in a warm but lightly shaded position. They should root within 3 weeks and will be ready to plant out in the summer.

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

Leaves – raw or cooked. The initial flavour is mild and pleasant, though it becomes stronger and aromatic when the leaves are chewed, and leaves a tingly sensation in the mouth. They make an acceptable addition to mixed salads, the plant is very productive, though the leaves are rather small and fiddly to pick in quantity. They are also used in soups, stews etc., and as a flavouring in potato salad etc . The aromatic leaves are used as a tea substitute .

Medicinal Uses
A chloroform extract from Achillea which includes stigmasterol and sitosterol was prepared. By comparing it with the pure compounds an anti-inflammatory effect (with mouse ears) is assumed. The topical anti-inflammatory effect of the chloroform extract from Achillea ageratum (Asteraceae) and of stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol, isolated of this extract has been evaluated, against to 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-induced mouse ear edema, using simple (acute model) and multiple applications (chronic model) of the phlogistic agent. Myeloperoxydase activity also was studied in the inflamed ears. In the acute model the extract exerted a dose-dependent effect. All the doses assayed (1, 3 and 5 mg/ear) significantly reduced the edema (50%, 66% and 82%, respectively). The isolated sterols stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol (with doses of 0.5 mg/ear) had similar effect as the extract with doses of 1 and 3 mg (59% and 65% respectively). In the chronic model the anti-inflammatory effect generally was a more moderate one. The highest dose of the extract decreased the edema reduction to 26% with the highest dose of the extract applied. With the compounds the effect decreased to 36% with stigmasterol, and 40.6% with beta-sitosterol. Myeloperoxydase activity (MPO) was reduced by the extract and the compounds in the acute model, however, in the chronic edema, the enzyme inhibition was very weak with all treatments even with the standard substance. These results indicate that the chloroform extract of Achillea ageratum and some of the its components stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol are more effective as topical anti-inflammatory agents in acute than in the chronic process and their action is markedly influenced by the inhibition of neutrophil migration into inflamed tissue

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.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Achillea+ageratum
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ACAG3
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Achillea_ageratum
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Achillea moschata

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Botanical Name : Achillea moschata
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribes: Anthemideae
Subtribes: Achilleinae
Genus: Achillea
Sectio: A. sect. Anthemoideae
Species: Achillea erba-rotta
Subspecies: Achillea moschata subsp. moschata

Synonym: Achillea erba-rotta var. moschata

Common Names : Yarrow, Milfoil, Thousand leaf, Musk Milfoil, Musk Yarrow

Habitat :Achillea moschata   occurs in  Europe and temperate areas of Asia. A few grow in North America.It is a common wayside herb, and is also found growing wild in fields, pastures, and waste places

Description:
Achillea moschata is a common perennial plant from 1 to 3 feet in height, bearing dark-green, crowded, alternate,frilly, hairy, aromatic bi-pinnatifid leaves. The flowers, which are grayish-white (occasionally rose-colored), are arranged in a flat-top, corymbose head. The odor is peculiar, being pleasantly and highly aromatic, somewhat resembling chamomile. The taste is sharp, bitterish, astringent, and slightly saline.It flowers from May to October

You may click to see the pictures of Achillea moschata

Chemical Composition:
Achillea moschata contains a reddish-brown, active, bitter principle called achillein (C20H38N2O15), discovered by Zanon, in 1846 (Liebig’s Annalen), and shown by Von Planta (1870) to be alkaloidal and identical with the achilleine of Achillea moschata. Zanon also found an acid which he named achilleic acid, and which was subsequently (1857) shown by Hlasiwetz to be aconitic acid. A small portion of a volatile oil, dark-green in color, may be obtained from yarrow by distillation with water. Milfoil also contains potassium and calcium salts, resin, gum, and tannin.

Medicinal Uses:
During the time of blooming the flowers alongwith leaves should be gathered (preferably during July), and after rejecting the coarser stems, should be carefully dried. The weight, after drying, is but 15 per cent of the amount collected. The leaves are more astringent than the flowers, the latter being more aromatic than the former. The American plant is said to be more valuable than the European species. Achillea was known to the ancients. Pliny states that the generic term, Achillea, was named from Achilles, a physician, who was one of the first to use a species of this plant as a vulnerary. Yarrow is sold by the native herbalists of India, like rosemary, where it is used as a bitter and in medicated vapor baths for fevers (Dymock). The Italians employed it in intermittent fevers, and in the Scottish highlands it is made into ointment for wounds. According to Linnaeus the Dalecarlians used it as a substitute for hops in the making of ale, believing it to impart to it intoxicating qualities. Both Stahl and Haller used this plant extensively.

The plant is known in Switzerland as forest lady’s herb and has been used there for centuries as a stomach tonic.  An infusion is used in the treatment of liver and kidney disorders, as a tonic to the digestive system, exhaustion, nervous headaches etc.    The oil stimulates gastric secretion and improves appetite; it is feebly diuretic and has a mild antitussive action.  The principle uses are lack of appetite, sluggish digestion; flatulence, diarrhea.

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.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/achillea.html
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Achillea_erba-rotta_subsp._moschata
http://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_36l_achillea_moschata_seeds
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Achillea_moschata_Atlas_Alpenflora.jpg
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Achillea_moschata07072002.JPG

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Senna ligustrina

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Botanical Name :Senna ligustrina
Family :Fabaceae – Pea family
Genus : Senna Mill. – senna
Species: Senna ligustrina (L.) Irwin & Barneby – privet senna
Kingdom ; Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom:  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Fabales

Synonyms: Senna ligustrina (L.) Irwin & Barneby

Common Names :Wild Coffee,Privet senna, Privet wild sensitive plant,Bahama Cassia

Habitat :Senna ligustrina grows in monroe County Keys north to Brevard, Okeechobee and Levy counties; West Indies and Central America. Very rare in the Monroe County Keys and perhaps confined to Big Pine Key and nearby islands.mostly available in forest edges.

Description:
Senna ligustrina is a medium shrubby wildflower tree,growing  to about 4-8 feet in height. Taller than broad. with erect stems and dark green leaves.Bloome yellow  color flower.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Medicinal Uses:
The leaves have recorded uses as a drink and wash for skin disorders.  It is said to be good for problems of the kidneys like jaundice, for bladder problems like bed wetting, hence the colloquial name piss-a-bed.  It acts as a tonic for the liver, and also has a diuretic action.  The roots are used for treating jaundice, dropsy and liver troubles.  The leaves are employed in Cuba as a purge.

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://regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Sennligu
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SELI9
http://www.butterflyworld.com/ECOMMERCE/proddetail.php?prod=Senna_ligustrina
http://www.floridanativenurseries.org/plants/detail/senna-ligustrina
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Hieracium venosum

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Botanical Name : Hieracium venosum
Family: Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus : Hieracium L. – hawkweed
Species: Hieracium venosum L. – rattlesnakeweed
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales

Synonyms:: Hieracium venosum L.

Common Names:Rattlesnake Weed, Hawkweed, Bloodwort, Snake plantain.

Habitat: The species venosum is common in the Northern and Eastern States, and through Canada; selecting dry hill sides with a light soil, and also pine woods.

Description:
Natural Order, Compositae. The genus hieracium embraces several species, all of which have heads of many yellow flowers; flowers all perfect, and all ligulate, (as in dandelion;) leaves alternate, and the entire herb yielding a little milky juice.  Stem one to two feet high, rising almost naked above, or with but one or two glaucous leaves, smooth, dark-brown, and forking above into a loose and spreading corymb. Root-leaves obovate or oblong, scarcely petioled, nearly entire, thin and pale, smooth and purplish underneath, veins distinctly purple, and the midrib sometimes hairy. Heads small, each with about twenty flowers, with the involucre cylindrical and scarcely imbricated; peduncles very slender. May to July.
click & see the pictures.

This genus is closely allied to the genus Nabalus. Some of its species are quite hairy; and one of them (H. longipilum. has its leaves thickly covered with straight bristles half an inch in length. The H. gronovi is more common southward, and is quite hairy in all its parts. The roots and leaves of venosum have been used in medicine. When fresh, the leaves are acrid and excoriating, and will often remove warts; but they lose this property on being dried, and are then (with the roots) simply bitter and astringent.

Medicinal  Uses:
The roots and leaves are stimulating and astringent, moderately permanent, and quite positive in action. They arouse a full outward circulation; and may be used to advantage when the surface is cold and sluggish, and there is hemorrhage from any internal organ. Hence they are useful in uterine hemorrhage, excessive menstruation, bleeding piles, and spitting of blood. They are not so drying as often to prove constipating, but act much like (though milder than) the bark of myrica. Like myrica, they may be used in chronic diarrhea, aphthous sores, nasal catarrh, nasal polypus, and as an injection in foul leucorrhea and rather insensitive forms of prolapsus. It exerts that peculiar influence in stimulating and consolidating the assimilative apparatus, that can be used to good effect in the treatment of those forms of scrofula which are associated with persistent watery looseness of the bowels. Drank freely in warm decoction, and the leaves at the same time applied as a fomentation, the plant is reputed to be of much service in arousing the circulation and nervous system, and casting out the virus of serpents. One ounce of the roots, or an ounce and a half of the leaves, will form a quart of infusion; or they may be added to relaxant alterants in the preparation of sirups. The milky juice of these plants, and their resemblance in other respects to the narcotic genus lactuca, have caused them to be suspected of poisonous properties; but I have not seen any just grounds for such a suspicion, and think them deserving of full investigation.

When fresh, the leaves are acrid and excoriating, and will often remove warts; but they lose this property on being dried, and are then (with the roots) simply bitter and astringent.  The roots and leaves are stimulating and astringent, moderately permanent, and quite positive in action. They arouse a full outward circulation; and may be used to advantage when the surface is cold and sluggish, and there is hemorrhage from any internal organ. They are useful in uterine hemorrhage, excessive menstruation, bleeding piles, and spitting of blood. They are not so drying as often to prove constipating, but act much like (though milder than) the bark of myrica. Like myrica, they may be used in chronic diarrhea, aphthous sores, nasal catarrh, nasal polypus, and as an injection in foul leucorrhea and rather insensitive forms of prolapsus. It exerts that peculiar influence in stimulating and consolidating the assimilative apparatus, that can be used to good effect in the treatment of those forms of scrofula which are associated with persistent watery looseness of the bowels. Drank freely in warm decoction, and the leaves at the same time applied as a fomentation, the plant is reputed to be of much service in arousing the circulation and nervous system, and casting out the virus of serpents. One ounce of the roots, or an ounce and a half of the leaves, will form a quart of infusion; or they may be added to relaxant alterants in the preparation of syrups. The purple veined-leaves of rattlesnake weed are unmistakable.
Cherokee used the root tea with Mitchella for bowel disorders

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.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/cook/HIERACIUM_VENOSUM.htm
http://www.cumauriceriver.org/botany/hive.html
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_RST.htm

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HIVE

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