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Anchusa Italica

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Botanical Name :Anchusa Italica
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Anchusa
Kingdom: Plantae )

Common Names :Italian Bugloss,Large Blue Alkanet,Garden Anchusa

Italian name : Buglossa azzurra
French name: Andryala à feuilles entières
German name: Italienische Ochsenzunge
Spanish name: Carmelita descalza
Portuguese name: Tripa-de-ovelha

Name Derivation:: Anchusa is a Greek word meaning “face make up paint” since of a particular red die extracted from the roots. Such a name was already by Aristofanes and Xenofen, (400BC) for the name of the plant (Greek); italica = Italian origine

Habitat : The plant grows as a weed among crops of alfalfa, flax, sesame, wheat, barley, rye, oats, millet, and in pastures and hay. A. italica is distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and in Asia; in the USSR it is found in the southern European part, in the Caucasus, and in Middle Asia.

Description:
Anchusa Italica is a biennial or perennial plant .. The whole plant is thickly covered with bristles. The root is a taproot. The stem is upright and reaches a height of 40–100 cm. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate; the lower ones are tegular, gathered in a rosette, and the upper ones are sessile. The inflorescence is paniculate, and the flowers are rather large and of a blue and light blue color. The fruit consists of four trihedral nutlets.

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Medicinal Uses:
The dried powdered herb is used as a poultice to treat inflamations. Care should be taken to use internally with caution, the plant contains alkaloid cylognossine which can have a paralyzing effect.

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://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Anchusa+Italica
http://luirig.altervista.org/schedeit/ae/anchusa_italica.htm
http://www.maltawildplants.com/BORG/Anchusa_italica.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchusa
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_IJK.htm
http://www.west-crete.com/flowers/anchusa_italica.htm

Enchanter’s nightshade

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Botanical Name :Circaea lutetiana
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Circaea
Species: C. lutetiana
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales

Common Name:Enchanter’s nightshade

Habitat ;The plant is native to Europe , Middle Asia and Siberia. They grow in woods in deep shade and moist environments on nitrogen-containing clay.Woods and shady places on a moist, base-rich soil, throughout Britain to 360 metres

Description:
Circaea lutetiana is a perennial herbaceous plant with opposite, simple leaves, on slender, green stems. The flowers are white, borne in summer. It grows 20 cm to 60 cm, rarely up to 75 centimeters.

click to see the pictures
The leaves are rounded or slightly notched at the base, they narrow gradually to the pointed tip and are not strongly toothed, but have sinuate edges. The leaf stalks are equally hairy all round.

The flower has 2 notched petals, 2 stamens and a 2-lobed stigma. The open flowers are well spaced along the stalk and there are no bracts at base of individual flower stalks.It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Diptera. The fruit consists of 2 equal cells, and usually sets seed. The flower stalks become angled downwards before fruiting.

In winter the aerial parts die off leaving an underground rhizome.

Cultivation :
Prefers a moist soil and a position in partial shade, growing well in woodland conditions .

Propagation :
Seed – sow spring in situ if you have sufficient seed. Otherwise sow in pots in light shade in a cold frame, pricking the seedlings out into individual pots once they are large enough to handle. Plant out in the summer or the following spring.

Medicinal Uses;
The plant has been used as a treatment on wounds. A compound infusion has been drunk and also used as a wash on injured parts of the body.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circaea_lutetiana
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Circaea+lutetiana
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/enchanter_ns.htm
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/circaealute.html

Wildcrafting and Insects (witchofforestgrove.com)
Rumex sanguineus (findmeacure.com)
Clematis chinensis (findmeacure.com)
Trifolium hybridum (findmeacure.com)

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