Tag: Spermatophyte

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Carpenter’s Square

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Botanical Name :Scrophularia marilandica
Family: Scrophulariaceae – Figwort family
Genus: Scrophularia L. – figwort
Species :Scrophularia marilandica L. – carpenter’s square
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order:  Scrophulariales

Common Names:Late Figwort, Maryland Figwort, Carpenter’s Square, or Eastern Figwort

Habitat :Carpenter’s Square is native to throughout eastern and central North America, where it is found growing in dry woods from Manitoba and Quebec south to Texas and Florida.

Description:
Carpenter’s Square is a perennial  flowering plant, grows 1.5-3 m tall, with opposite, ovate leaves up to 15 cm long and 9 cm broad. The flowers are rounded, 8-9 mm long, with a cup-like mouth that look somewhat like a horse’s mouth with a bad overbite; they are a deep reddish-purple color on the inside, with a greenish to almost brown cast on the outside. They are commonly visited by hummingbirds in late summer...CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES
• Flower size: 1/4 inch across
• Flower color: brown
• Flowering time: July to August
Cultivation:
Succeeds in most moist soils.

Propagation:
Seed – sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Medicinal Uses:

Alterative, appetizer, diaphoretic, vermifuge and vulnerary. A tea made from the roots is diuretic, emmenagogue and tonic. It has been used in the treatment of irregular menses, fevers and piles. A poultice made from the roots is a folk remedy for cancer. Carpenter’s square is said to have similar properties to the knotted figwort, S. nodosa. These properties are:- Knotted figwort is a plant that supports detoxification of the body and it may be used as a treatment for various kinds of skin disorders. The whole plant is alterative, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, mildly purgative and stimulant. It is harvested as the plant comes into flower in the summer and can be dried for later use. A decoction is applied externally to sprains, swellings, burns, inflammations etc, and is said to be useful in treating chronic skin diseases, scrofulous sores and gangrene. The leaves can also be applied fresh or be made into an ointment. Internally, the plant is used in the treatment of chronic skin diseases (such as eczema, psoriasis and pruritis), mastitis, swollen lymph nodes and poor circulation. It should not be prescribed for patients with heart conditions. The root is anthelmintic.

A poultice was used to treat skin diseases such as impetigo and cradle cap. The entire plant was used as a tonic, to break a fever by increasing perspiration, to increase urine flow, and to cure intestinal worms. The bark of the plant and the roots were used as treatments for tuberculosis, scabies, and open wounds. The plant was used at various times to increase menstrual flow and treat hemorrhoids. A poultice made from the roots is a folk remedy for cancer. Carpenter’s square is said to have similar properties to the knotted figwort, S. nodosa: supports detoxification of the body and it may be used as a treatment for various kinds of skin 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://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SCMA2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrophularia_marilandica
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/scrophulariamari.html
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Scrophularia+marilandica

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Cardoon

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

Common Names:Cardoon,artichoke thistle, cardone, cardoni, carduni or cardi

Habitat : Cardoon  is native to the Mediterranean, where it was domesticated in ancient times.Stony or waste places and in dry grassland, usually on clay

Description:
Cynara cardunculus is a PERENNIAL growing to 2 m (6ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in).
It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Aug to September, and the seeds ripen from Sep to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, lepidoptera.

 

click to see..>…..(01)……(1).....(2).…..(3).…..…(4)..…
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils.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 tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Cultivation :
Prefers a light warm soil and an open position in full sun. For best results, this plant requires plenty of moisture in the growing season and a good rich soil , though another report says that it is drought tolerant once established. Plants grew very well with us in the hot and very dry summer of 1995, though they were looking very tatty by September. Tolerates most soils including heavy clays of both acid and alkaline nature, especially when grown in heavier or more spartan soils. Plants are reasonably wind resistant. This species is hardy to about -10°c. Plants are more likely to require protection from winter cold when they are grown in a heavy soil. Wet winters can do more harm than cold ones. At one time the cardoon was often grown for its edible stems but it has now fallen into virtual disuse. There are some named varieties. It is a very ornamental foliage plant and makes a very attractive feature in the garden. The leaves are long lasting in water and are often used in flower arrangements. Recent taxonomic revisions (1999) have seen the globe artichoke being merged into this species. However, since from the gardener’s point of view it is quite a distinctive plant, we have decided to leave it with its own entry in the database under Cynara scolymus. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits.

Propagation :
Seed – sow early spring in a greenhouse. Germination is usually quick and good, prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions during the summer. It would be prudent to give the plants some winter protection in their first year. The seed can also be sown in situ in April. Sow the seed 2cm deep, putting 2 or 3 seeds at each point that you want a plant. Protect the seed from mice. Division of suckers. This is best done in November and the suckers overwintered in a cold frame then planted out in April. Division can also be carried out in March/April with the divisions being planted out straight into their permanent positions, though the plants will be smaller in their first year.

Edible Uses:
While the flower buds can be eaten much as the artichoke, more often the stems are eaten after being braised in cooking liquid. Battered and fried, the stems are also traditionally served at St. Joseph’s altars in New Orleans.

The stalks, which look like large celery stalks, can be served steamed or braised. They have an artichoke-like flavor. Cardoons are available in the market only in the winter months. In the U.S.A., it is rarely found in stores, but available in farmers’ markets, where it is available through May, June, and July. The main root can also be boiled and served cold.   Acclaimed chef Mario Batali calls the cardoon one of his favorite vegetables and says they have a “very sexy flavor.”

click to see....>...(1)…….(2).…

Cardoons are also an ingredient in one of the national dishes of Spain, the cocido madrileño, a slow-cooking, one-pot, meat and vegetable dinner simmered in broth.

In the Abruzzi region of Italy, Christmas lunch is traditionally started with a soup of cardoons cooked in chicken broth with little meatballs (lamb or more rarely, beef), sometimes with the further addition of egg (which scrambles in the hot soup – called stracciatella) or fried chopped liver and heart.

Medicinal Uses:
Anticholesterolemic;  Cholagogue;  Digestive;  Diuretic.

The cardoon has become important as a medicinal herb in recent years following the discovery of cynarin. This bitter-tasting compound, which is found in the leaves, improves liver and gall bladder function, stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, especially bile, and lowers blood cholesterol levels. The leaves are anticholesterolemic, antirheumatic, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic and lithontripic. They are used internally in the treatment of chronic liver and gall bladder diseases, jaundice, hepatitis, arteriosclerosis and the early stages of late-onset diabetes. The leaves are best harvested just before the plant flowers, and can be used fresh or dried.

The cardoon has become important as a medicinal herb in recent years following the discovery of cynarin. This bitter-tasting compound, which is found in the leaves, improves liver and gall bladder function, stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, especially bile, and lowers blood cholesterol levels.  The leaves  are used internally in the treatment of chronic liver and gall bladder diseases, jaundice, hepatitis, arteriosclerosis and the early stages of late-onset diabetes.

Other uses:
Cardoons are used as a vegetarian source of enzymes for cheese production. In Portugal, traditional coagulation of the curd relies entirely on this vegetable rennet. This results in cheeses such as the Nisa (D.O.P.), with a peculiar earthy, herbaceous and a slightly citric flavour that bears affinity with full-bodied or fortified wines.

Cardoon has attracted recent attention as a possible source of biodiesel. The oil, extracted from the seeds of the cardoon, and called artichoke oil, is similar to safflower and sunflower oil in composition and use

The plant is said to yield a good yellow dye, though the report does not say which part of the plant is used.

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=Cynara%20cardunculus
http://www.nathankramer.com/garden/omaha/041002-18.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardoon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cynara_cardunculus_(Kalmthout).jpg

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CYCA&photoID=cyca_004_ahp.tif

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Acalypha arvensis

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Botanical Name : Acalypha arvensis
Family :Euphorbiaceae – Spurge family
Genus: Acalypha L. – copperleaf
Species: Acalypha arvensis Poepp. – field copperleaf
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom :Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order :Euphorbiales

Common Name : Cancer Bush, Field Copperleaf
Vernacular names:
Creole speaking countries : lanmwaz, zeb akrab, zouti-bata
Guatemala : hierba del cáncer

Habitat :Native to Mexico, Central America, northern South America to Brazil, Bolivia. Herb of open disturbed moist areas.

Description:
Acalypha arvensis  is a forb/herb (a forb/herb is a non-woody plant that is not a grass) of the genus Acalypha. It’s duration is annual which means it grows for one season only. Acalypha Arvensis or Field Copperleaf‘s floral region is North America US

You may click to see the pictures of  Acalypha arvensis       

Annual or perennial plant, up to 50 cm in height, with branches sometimes angling down.  Leaves elongated, ovate, or glandular-punctate, 3 to 7 cm in long.  Flowers, in spikes, 1.5 to 3 cm long, emerging from axillary leaf shoots; capsule 2 mm, pilose.

Medicinal Uses:
The common name hierba del cancer stems not from the ability of the plant to fight cancer but rather because of the local use of the word cancer to mean an open sore.  The plant is used as a remedy in Belize for a variety of serious skin conditions such as fungus, ulcers, ringworm and itching or burning labia in women.  It is used throughout Latin America as a diuretic. The leaves are used in Guatemala not only as a diuretic but also to treat kidney-related problems.  In Haiti  it is used to treat diarrhea, inflammations and dyspepsia.    In a study of plants used in Guatemala as a diuretic and for the treatment of urinary ailments, extracts of the plant were shown to increase urinary output by 52%.  A dried leaf tincture has been shown to be active against Staphylococcus aureus but inactive against some other bacteria.

Excellent remedy to wash skin conditions of the worst kind such as chronic rashes, blisters, peeling skin, deep sores, ulcers, fungus, ringworm, inflammation, itching and burning of labia in women – boil one entire plant in one quart water for 10 minutes; strain and wash area with very hot water 3 times daily.  Leaves may be dried and toasted and passed through a screen to make a powder to sprinkle on sores, skin infections, or boils. For stomach complaints or urinary infections, boil one entire plant in 3 cups water for 5 minutes; drink 3 cups of warm decoction 3 times a day (1 cup before each meal).  The local use of the word “cancer” refers to a type of open sore.  A dried leaf tincture was shown to have in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

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.tramil.net/fototeca/imageDisplay1.php?id_elem=250&lang=en
http://www.sagebud.com/field-copperleaf-acalypha-arvensis/
http://www.saintlucianplants.com/floweringplants/euphorbiaceae/acalarve/acalarve.html
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ACAR16

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm

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Viola canadensis

Botanical Name : Viola canadensis
Family:  Violaceae – Violet family
Genus : Viola L. – violet
Species :Viola canadensis L. – Canadian white violet
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision:  Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class : Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order : Violales

Synonyms:Viola canadensis Linnaeus var. rugulosa (Greene) C.L. Hitchcock ,Viola canadensis Linnaeus var. canadensis sensu NM authors,Viola canadensis Linnaeus var. neomexicana (Greene) House,Viola rydbergii Greene

Common Name : Canada Violet,Canadian white violet, Canada Violet, tall white violet, or white violet.

Habitat : It is native to Canada and the eastern United States.Viola canadensis is our most common white violet in the Gila National Forest. It is found along moist streambanks under trees, occasionally in large numbers.It is threatened or endangered in some areas, and abundant in others. There are four varieties.

Description:
General: perennial with short, thick rootstocks and often
with slender stolons. Stems 10-40 cm tall, hairless to
short-hairy.

CLICK & SEE THE  PICTURES

Leaves: basal and alternate, the stalks as much as 30
cm long. Leaf blades heart-shaped, abruptly pointed, about
4-8 cm long, from (usually) short-hairy on one or both
surfaces to hairless. Stipules lanceolate, 1-2 cm long,
entire, hairless to hairy on the edges only. The apex of the leaf is acute.

Flowers: one to few from the upper portion of the stem,
the stalks shorter than the leaves. The 5 sepals lanceolate,
often short-hairy and with hairy edges, the spur short. The
5 petals about 1.5 cm long, white to pinkish, yellow-based,
the 3 lower ones purplish-lined, the side bearded, all (but
especially the upper pair) more or less purplish-tinged on
the outside and sometimes less conspicuously so on the
inside. Style head sparsely long-bearded.The throat of the flower is marked with yellow with faint purple guidelines.

Flowering time: May-July.

Fruits: capsules, 4-5 mm long, granular on the surface
to short-hairy, with 3 valves, splitting open explosively and
shooting out seeds, the seeds brownish.

Medicinal Uses:
A tea made from the roots has been used in the treatment of pain in the bladder region.  The roots and leaves have traditionally been used to induce vomiting, they have also been poulticed and applied to skin abrasions and boils.

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://montana.plant-life.org/species/viola_canad.htm
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm
http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/viola_canadensis.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_canadensis

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Eryngium aquaticum

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Botanical Name:Eryngium aquaticum
Family : Apiaceae – Carrot family
Genus: Eryngium L. – eryngo
Species : Eryngium aquaticum L. – rattlesnakemaster
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class : Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass : Rosidae
Order : Apiales

Common Names:Button’s Snakeroot Eryngo,Rattlesnake master,Button snakeroot eryngo, button snakeroot, corn snakeroot, eryngo, feverweed, rattlesnake flag, rattlesnake weed, water eryngo.

Habitat: Fresh to brackish marshes, streams, ponds and bogs, and wet pinelands. Although sometimes occurring on dry land, button-snakeroot usually inhabits swamps and low, wet ground from Connecticut and the pine barrens of New Jersey to Illinois and South Dakota and south to Texas and Florida.

Description:
This  plant has grasslike, rigid, parallel-veined leaves 1 to 2 feet in length and about one-half inch in width. The stout furrowed stem reaches a height of from 2 to 6 feet and is generally unbranched except near the top. . The insignificant whitish flowers are borne in dense, stout-stemmed heads from June to September. The stout rootstock is very knotty, with numerous short branches, and produces many thick, rather straight roots.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Medicinal Uses:
Indians used this plant to prevent poisoning, reduce fever, and increase urine flow.  They pounded the root, mixed it with water, and drank the potion as a cure for kidney trouble, neuralgia and arthritis, and as a blood purifier.  They also chewed the stems and leaves as a nosebleed remedy, and used a tea of the plants to cure severe dysentery.  A decoction of the plant was drunk at some Indian ceremonials to induce vomiting.  It is used now mainly in the treatment of disorders of the kidneys and sexual organs. It has been used as an antidote to snake poison.  The pounded roots are used as a diuretic. An infusion of them is used to reduce fevers.  The plant is used as an antidote to snakebites. The roots are chewed and applied to the bite.  A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh or dried root.

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.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ERAQ&photoID=eraq_1v.jpg
http://www.scienceviews.com/plants/rattlesnakemaster.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/herbhunters/buttonsnakeroot.html

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