Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants #159 – 161 Water Cress/ Fleabane/ Syrian Rue

Tags

African Rue, Daisy Fleabane, Eastern Daisy Fleabane, edible fleabane, Erigeron annuus, Erigeron aphanactis, Erigeron philadelphicus, field craft, field medicine, home remedies, increase pulse strength, militia supply, Nasturtium officinale, Native American culture, native american medicine, Peganum harmala, preppers plants, remove tapeworms, Soma, treat baldness, treat chronic diarrhea, treat depression, treat eczematous, treat encephalitis, treat epilepsy, treat glandular tumors, treat gonorrhea, treat gout, treat headaches, treat hemorrhoids, treat high blood pressure, treat lymphatic swellings, treat menstrual problems, treat psoriasis, treat rheumatism, treat TB, treatment for brain swellings, treatment for dandruff, treatment for depression, treatment of glandular tumours, treatment of rheumatism, treatment of TB

Medical disclaimer: always check with a physician before consuming wild plants, and make positive identification in the field using a good source such as Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West.  Michael Moore also has a glossary of medical terms in his books, and maps in later editions. ) 
#159
Common Name: Water Cress
Latin Name: Nasturtium officinale
Family: Brassicaceae
Range: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=NAOF All states, except Hawaii and N. Dakota; In Canada; British Columbia to Quebec, plus New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Photos: Here
Appearance and Habitat: Introduced and naturalized. An erect or spreading, perennial, 4″-18″ tall, emergent aquatic, sometimes evergreen, forming large, tangled wintergreen masses; stems spreading; rooting from the lower nodes. The flower is white, 4-parted, 1/5″ wide, petals 2 times longer than the sepals; inflorescence a cluster (raceme) of stalked flowers from the ends of the shoots; blooms May-Oct. The leaf is pinnately-divided into 3-9 rounded leaflets with the end one longest. Found in sun; streams, springs, cold water; in limy, sedimentary, gravelly soil.(1)  Streams margins, ditches, flushes ect. with moving water, usually in chalk or limestone areas. Europe, including Britain, from Denmark south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia. A perennial growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 1 m (3ft 3in). It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to October, and the seeds ripen from Jul to October.(2)
Warnings: Whilst the plant is very wholesome and nutritious, some care should be taken if harvesting it from the wild. Any plants growing in water that drains from fields where animals, particularly sheep, graze should not be used raw. This is due to the risk of it being infested with the liver fluke parasite. Cooking the leaves, however, will destroy any parasites and render the plant perfectly safe to eat. May inhabit the metabolism of paracetamol.(3)
Edible Uses: Leaves – raw or cooked. Water cress is mainly used as a garnish or as an addition to salads, the flavour is strong with a characteristic hotnes. It has a reputation as a spring tonic, and this is its main season of use, though it can be harvested for most of the year and can give 10 pickings annually. Some caution is advised if gathering the plant from the wild, see the notes above on toxicity. The leaves are exceptionally rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron. A nutritional analysis is available. The seed can be sprouted and eaten in salads. A hot mustardy flavour. The seed is ground into a powder and used as a mustard. The pungency of mustard develops when cold water is added to the ground-up seed – an enzyme (myrosin) acts on a glycoside (sinigrin) to produce a sulphur compound. The reaction takes 10 – 15 minutes. Mixing with hot water or vinegar, or adding salt, inhibits the enzyme and produces a mild but bitter mustard.(4)(Good break down on composition at the website.)
Medicinal Uses : Watercress is very rich in vitamins and minerals, and has long been valued as a food and medicinal plant. Considered a cleansing herb, its high content of vitamin C makes it a remedy that is particularly valuable for chronic illnesses. The leaves are antiscorbutic, depurative, diuretic, expectorant, purgative, hypoglycaemic, odontalgic, stimulant and stomachic. The plant has been used as a specific in the treatment of TB. The freshly pressed juice has been used internally and externally in the treatment of chest and kidney complaints, chronic irritations and inflammations of the skin etc. Applied externally, it has a long-standing reputation as an effective hair tonic, helping to promote the growth of thick hair. A poultice of the leaves is said to be an effective treatment for healing glandular tumours or lymphatic swellings. Some caution is advised, excessive use of the plant can lead to stomach upsets. The leaves can be harvested almost throughout the year and are used fresh.(5)
Foot Notes: (1)http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=NASOFF
Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4, 5 )http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Nasturtium+officinale
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#160
Common Name: Daisy Fleabane, Rayless Shaggy Fleabane, Philadelphia Fleabane
Latin Name: Erigeron annuus, E. aphanactis, E. philadelphicus
Family: Asteraceae
Range: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=eran All of the lower 48 States, except Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona; In Canada; British Columbia to Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. (Erigeron annuus)
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ERAPA2 Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. (Erigeron aphanactis)
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=erph All of the lower 48 States, except Utah and Arizona; All of Canada except Nunavut and Labrador. (Erigeron philadelphicus)
Photos : (Click on Latin name after common name )
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#160 (a)
Common Name: Daisy Fleabane, Eastern Daisy Fleabane, Annual Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)
Appearance and Habitat: An erect stem covered with spreading hairs bears flower heads with 40 or more tightly packed white to pale pink ray flowers surrounding the central yellow disk flowers. (1)   An erect native , 2′-4′ tall forb with dense foliage; stems with long spreading hairs. The flower has a head 1/2″ – 3/4″ wide with 80-125 white to pinkish rays up to 1/3″ long, disks yellow and flat; inflorescence of several to many heads; blooms June-Sept. The seeds are dry fluffy pappus. The leaves are described as, basal leaves elliptical and coarsely toothed, stem leaves widely lance-like, usually sharply toothed, and not clasping. It is found in disturbed areas.(2)   Fields and waste places. Prairies and open ground in various soil types in Texas. North America, naturalized in C. Europe. It is hardy to zone 3.(3)
Warnings: None.(4)
Edible Uses:Young plant – boiled. (5)
Medicinal Uses :None.(6)
Foot Notes: (1)http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ERAN
Foot Notes: (2)http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=ERIANN
Foot Notes: ( 3, 4, 5, 6 ) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Erigeron+annuus
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#160 (b)
Common Name: Shaggy Rayless Fleabane (Erigeron aphanactis)
Native American Name: Ah gwe shuh(Shoshone)
Appearance and Habitat: No information other than photos.
Edible Uses: Tea from plant
Medicinal Uses : A dwarf yellow aster, used at Owyhee as a cure for gonorrhea. The tea from the whole plant ws used.

Indian Uses of Native Plants by Edith Van Murphy, page 47, Publisher: Meyerbooks, Copyright 1990, ISBN 0-96638-15-4
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#160 (c)
Common Name: Philadelphia Fleabane, Fleabane Daisy, Marsh Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)
Appearance and Habitat: The fleabane daisy grows along roadsides and in fields and woodlands. It has more than 150 threadlike, white ray flowers. The center, disk flowers are 5-toothed and yellow, and there are many flower heads to each much-branched stem. The yellow center with the large number of very fine ray flowers is the best identification. They are much finer than those of other daisies or asters. Flower heads are 1/2-3/4 inch across. The geneus name, from Greek eri (early) and geron (old man), presumably refers to the fact that the plant flowers early and has a hoary down suggesting an old mans beard. Robins Plaintain (E. pulchellus) is slightly shorter and has fewer, but larger, lilac or violet flower heads, as well as stem leaves that are sparse and stalkless but do not clasp the stem; it is insect-pollinated and also spreads actively by runners.(1)  An erect, biennial/perennial, 4″-36″ tall forb usually with long, spreading hairs. The flower head is 1/2′ – 3/4″ wide, 150-400 pink to white rays up to 1/3″ long, disks yellow and flat; inflorescence of usually more than 9 heads per cluster; blooms May-Aug. The fruit from the flowers, dry seed on fluffy pappus. It has basal leaves toothed, narrowly-oblong with a rounded tipped; stem leaves clasping. Found in wet areas, woods, shores, meadows. (2)   Thickets, fields, and woods in low prairies and streambanks, often on calcareous clays; in N. America – Labrador to British Columbia, south to Florida and California. A biennial/perennial growing to 0.7 m (2ft 4in) by 0.3 m (1ft). It is hardy to zone 2. It is in flower from Jul to August.(3)
Warnings: Contact with plant can cause dermatitis in sensitive people.(4)
Edible Uses: None.(5)
Medicinal Uses : A tea made from the plant is astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic and emmenagogue. It is used in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea, gout, gravel, epilepsy and menstrual problems. A poultice of the plant is used to treat headaches and is also applied to sores. It should not be taken by pregnant women since it can induce a miscarriage. A snuff made from the powdered florets is used to make a person with catarrh sneeze.(6)
Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ERPH
Foot Notes: (2) http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=ERIPHI
Foot Notes: ( 3, 4, 5, 6 ) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Erigeron+philadelphicus
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#161
Common Name: Syrian Rue, African Rue, Soma
Latin Name: Peganum harmala
Family: Zygophyllaceae
Range: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PEHA Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Photos : Here
Appearance and Habitat: A native of northern India, Afghanistan and southern Russia that began growing in this country in 1930. Originally found near Fallon, Nevada and Deming, New Mexico; it has now spread to other states. It is found mostly on secondary dirt roads and paved roads. In grows in lower canyons, alluvial flats and grazing lands. In the past there have been eradication efforts because the plant is poisonous to sheep. The plant is bright green, composed of many 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 foot tall basal leaves that are theady in appearance. Through the warmer months it has 5 petaled flowers that grow from the leaf axils. The flowers mature into round hollow capsules which contain many small, angular seeds. Brown capsules are resent products, but turn grey in subsequent years. The root is grey-brown, pithy, with yellow heart-wood and is rather hard to dig up.(1)   Dry steppes, especially where grazing is heavy, and dry waste places. It is often found in saline soils. Europe – Mediterranean and southeastern Europe is its range. A perennial, growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It is hardy to zone 8. The seeds ripen in September. It cannot grow in the shade.(2)
Warnings: Use with caution. Although the seed is used medicinally and as a condiment, it does contain hallucinogenic and narcotic alkaloids. When taken is excess it causes hallucinations and vomiting.(3)
Edible Uses:Seed – used as a spice and purifying agent. Some caution is advised because the seed has narcotic properties, inducing a sense of euphoria and releasing inhibitions. An edible oil is obtained from the seed.(4)
Medicinal Uses :Alterative. The fruit and seed are digestive, diuretic, hallucinogenic, narcotic and uterine stimulant. They are taken internally in the treatment of stomach complaints, urinary and sexual disorders, epilepsy, menstrual problems, mental and nervous illnesses. The seed has also been used as an anthelmintic in order to rid the body of tapeworms. This remedy should be used with caution and preferably under the guidance of a qualified practitioner since excessive doses cause vomiting and hallucinations. The seeds contain the substance ‘harmine’ which is being used in research into mental disease, encephalitis and inflammation of the brain. Small quantities stimulate the brain and are said to be therapeutic, but in excess harmine depresses the central nervous system. A crude preparation of the seed is more effective than an extract because of the presence of related indoles. Consumption of the seed in quantity induces a sense of euphoria and releases inhibitions. It has been used in the past as a truth drug. The oil obtained from the seed is said to be aphrodisiac. The oil is also said to have galactogogue, ophthalmic, soporific and vermifuge properties. The seed is used externally in the treatment of haemorrhoids and baldness. The whole plant is said to be abortifacient, aphrodisiac, emmenagogue and galactogogue. A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of rheumatism. The root has been used as a parasiticide in order to kill body lice. It is also used internally in the treatment of rheumatism and nervous conditions.(5)  The root and seeds remain stable for years and make good medicine, while the foliage is useful for only a year. Recent Russian studies have verified many of the folk remedies. The plant is useful for treating skin conditions such as eczematous, exfoliative dermatitis and psoriasis. They respond well to an external wash of the seed tincture or root tincture or tea. The herb tea is an excellent hair and scalp treatment for dandruff, using it after a shampoo, but tends to make the hair stiff. The seeds in tincture (40 drops), or in a #00 capsule will treat depression and make a good anti-depressant. It won’t help with manic depression however. The seed tincture has cardiovascular effects as well, it increases the force of the pulse and aortal flow, while decreasing the pulse rate. It treats high blood pressure in this fashion. The dry herb can be used as a tea or tincture. For the tea, boil 32 parts water to 1 part dried herb (by weight), remove from the heat source and allow it to sit for up to an hour, strain out the plant and return the water to the original level. For the plant tincture or seed tincture (grind seeds) use part dried plant to 5 parts of 50% vodka, place in a jar and shake daily for a week. For the root tincture, follow the same procedure but use 60% vodka at a rate of 1 part dried root to 5 parts vodka. Ingesting up to a dozen capsules of the seed will cause hallucinations.(6)
Other Uses :A red dye is obtained from the seed. It is widely used in Western Asia, especially as a colouring for carpets. The ripe seed contains 3.8 – 5.8% of the alkaloids harmine, harmaline, harmalol and peganine. Ineffective as a contact poison, they are active in vapour form where they are effective against algae, in higher concentrations to water animals and lethal to moulds, bacteria and intestinal parasites. The seed is used as an incense.(7)
Foot Notes: (1, 6 ) Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West by Michael Moore, pages 120-121, Publisher: Museum of New Mexico Press, Copyright 1989, ISBN 0-80913-182-1
Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4, 5, 7 ) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Peganum+harmala

Reproduced, in part, (as well as previous postings under this title) in accordance with Section 107 of title 17 of the Copyright Law of the United States relating to fair-use and is for the purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Wild Edible and Medicial Plants #100 – Yucca

Tags

antiemetic to prevent vomiting, edible Yucca, field medicine, help gallbladder disorders, medical Yucca, militia supply, Native American culture, Native American foods, native american medicine, preppers plants, treat arthritic pain, treat prostate inflammations, treatment for dandruff, treatment of sores, Yucca aloifolia, Yucca angustissima, Yucca baccata, Yucca constricta, Yucca elata, Yucca filamentosa, Yucca for shampoo, Yucca glauca, Yucca harrimaniae, Yucca poultice, Yucca schidigera, yucca to reduce cholesterol, yucca to reduce triglycerides

Medical disclaimer: always check with a physician before consuming wild plants, and make positive identification in the field using a good source such as Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West.  Michael Moore also has a glossary of medical terms in his books, and maps in later editions. ) 

 #100

Common Name: Yucca, Joshua Tree, Spanish Bayonet, Spanish Dagger, Soaptree

Latin Name: Yucca aloifolia, Y. angustissima, Y. brevifolia, Y. constricta, Y. elata, Y. filamentosa, Y. glauca and others.

Family: Agavaceae

Range: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUCCA all states except Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska,  Minnesota, New England north of New York and Massachusetts – also found in Alberta and Ontario, Canada – main database

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUAL Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, N. and S. Carolina, Florida, (Yucca aloifolia)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUAN2 Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona (Yucca angustissima)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUBA California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas (Yucca baccata)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUBR California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah (Yucca breviflolia)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUCO Texas (Yucca constricta)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUEL Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (Yucca elata)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUFI all states east of the Mississippi R., except Vermont, New Hamshire and Maine on the west side of the Mississippi R. – Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas (Yucca filamentosa)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUGL all states between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi R., except Minnesota and Louisiana; also found in Alberta, Canada (Yucca glauca)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUGL2 Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, N. and S. Carolina (Yucca gloriosa)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUHA Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma (Yucca harrimaniae)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YURE2  Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia (Yucca recurvifolia)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=YUSC2 California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona (Yucca schidigera) 

Photos: (Click on latin name after common name.)

Warnings: The roots contain saponins. Whilst saponins are quite toxic to people, they are poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass straight through. They are destroyed by prolonged heat, such as slow baking in an oven. Saponins are found in many common foods such as beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc. in order to stupefy or kill the fish. PFAF website warnings apply to all Yuccas.

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#100(a)

Common Name: Aloe Yucca, Spanish Dagger (Yucca aloifolia)

Appearance and Habitat: Aloe yucca or spanish dagger is a slender-stemmed plant, 6-12 ft. high (sometimes taller) with a stocky, branched or unbranched trunk. The evergreen leaves are thick and stiff and up to 2 ft. long, with tiny, sharp serrations on the margin and a very sharp tip. Whitish, pendulous flowers, about 3 in. wide, occur in erect clusters up to 2 ft. long, and are followed by fruit which becomes pendent. Evergreen shrub or small tree often with stout clustered trunks that are sometimes branched, with sprouts at the slightly swollen base, and with bayonetlike leaves crowded and spreading at top. Tolerant of salt and suitable for planting along sandy shores, Spanish Bayonet is easily propagated from sprouts. Several cultivated varieties have striped or colored leaves. The fruit is eaten by birds and sometimes by humans, and the flowers can be served as a salad or cooked. Pioneers made rope and string from the fibrous leaves. (1)Sand dunes of the coast, occasionally up to 60km inland, in pine forests. Also found on the margins of brackish marshes in Southeastern N. America – North Carolina to Florida, west to Loiusiana, naturalized in S. Europe. An evergreen tree growing to 7.5 m (24ft 7in) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in September.(2)

Edible Uses: Fruit – raw or cooked. A thick, succulent mass of bitter-sweet juicy flesh. The fruit is up to 10 cm long and 4cm wide. Flowers – raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, or can be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. A crisp texture. Flowering stem – peeled and boiled. Used like asparagus. (3)

Medicinal Uses: The fruit is purgative. The boiled and mashed root, mixed with oil, has been used as a salve in the treatment of various complaints.  (4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUAL

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+aloifolia

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#100(b)

Common Name: Narrowleaf Yucca (Yucca angustissima)

Appearance and Habitat: Sandy places, sandstone outcrops, rocky hillsides of deserts at elevations of 900 – 2200 meters in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. An evergreen shrub growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jun to July.

Edible Uses: Fruit – the immature fruit is cooked. Baked in an oven. A bitter taste, the bitterness is in the skin. The fruit is about 6cm long and 2.5cm wide. Flowers – raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, or can be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. Flowering stem – peeled, cooked and used like asparagus. The whitish inner portion is used.

Medicinal Uses: None

Foot Notes: all http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+angustissima

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#100(c)
Common Name: Datil, Banana Yucca, Blue Yucca, (Yucca baccata)

Appearance and Habitat: This yucca usually occurs as a single, stemless plant but sometimes grows in clumps with short, reclining stems. The narrow, spine-tipped leaves are up to 30 in. long and occur in an open cluster which is often wider than the leaves are high. The flowering stem is up to 40 in. tall and bears large, pendant, fleshy, white flowers with a red-purple tinge. Fruits are fleshy and banana-shaped. Rigid, spine-tipped leaves in 1 or several rosettes, and a long cluster of large whitish flowers on a stalk about as tall as the leaves. Identification of the many Yucca species is often difficult. Those with broad leaves are sometimes called Spanish Daggers, a name generally applied to the tree-like species of western Texas. Plain Identification of the many Yucca species is often difficult. Those with broad leaves are sometimes called Spanish Daggers, a name generally applied to the tree-like species of western Texas. Plains Yucca (Y. glauca), common from the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains eastward almost throughout the plains and prairies of the central United States, is a small species with narrow, gray-green leaves.(1)Rocky slopes, pinyon, oak, and juniper woodlands, grasslands at elevations of 400 – 2500 meters in South-western N. America – Colorado to Texas, California and Mexico. An evergreen shrubgrowing to 0.9 m (3ft) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower in August.

(2)

Edible Uses: Fully ripe fruit – raw, cooked or dried for winter use. A staple food for several native North American Indian tribes, the fruits are large, fleshy, sweet and palatable. The ovoid fruit is about 17cm long and 7cm wide. Considered to be a luxury by the native North American Indians, the fruits were often baked in ovens. The cooked fruit can be formed into cakes and then dried for later use. Large quantities of the fruit has caused diarrhoea in people who are not used to it. The dried fruit can be dissolved in water to make a drink. Flower buds – cooked. A soapy taste. The older flowers are best, they are rich in sugar. The flowers, harvested before the summer rains (which turn them bitter), have been used as a vegetable. Flowering stems – cooked. Harvested before the flowers open then roasted. Seed – cooked. It can be roasted and then ground into a powder and boiled. The tender crowns of the plants have been roasted and eaten in times of food shortage. The young leaves have been cooked as a flavouring in soups.

(3)

Medicinal Uses: An infusion of the pulverized leaves has been used as an antiemetic to prevent vomiting. The fruits have been eaten raw as a laxative. (4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUBA

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+baccata

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#100(d)

Common Name: Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia)

Appearance and Habitat: A tree-like yucca, Joshua-tree grows 5-40 ft. tall, with a columnar, much-branched trunk forming a weird and picturesque, open crown. The stiff, blue-green leaves, 8-14 in. long, have yellow margins. The broad flower spikes are short (usually less than 3 ft.) with a candelabra of side branches graced by 1 1/2 in., bell-shaped, fragrant, creamy-white flowers. A picturesque or grotesque, narrow-leaf evergreen tree with short, stout trunk; open, broad crown of many, stout, widely forking, spreading, and sometimes drooping branches; and spiny, daggerlike leaves. Joshua Tree, the largest of the yuccas, is the characteristic tree of the Mojave Desert and has come to symbolize the area. The Mormon pioneers named this species Joshua, because its shape mimics a person praying with uplifted arms or gesturing wildly, referring to the Biblical leader pointing the way to a Promised Land. It is abundant at Joshua Tree National Monument in southern California and Joshua Forest Parkway in western Arizona. Native Americans made meal from the seeds and a dye for decorating baskets from the reddish rootlets. Red-shafted flickers drill holes in the branches to make nests, which are later occupied by other birds. The desert night-lizard lives in the dead leaves and branches, and woodrats gnaw off the spiny leaves for their nests. The foliage was the primary staple in the diet of the extinct giant sloth.(1) Arid mesas and mountain slopes, usually at 650 – 2200 meters. South-western N. America – California to Utah. A evergreen tree
growing to 9 m (29ft 6in). It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower in June, and the seeds ripen in September.(2)

Edible Uses: Flowers – cooked. The flower buds, before opening, can be parboiled in salt water to remove the bitterness, drained and then cooked again and served like cauliflower. The opened flowers are rich in sugar and can be roasted and eaten as candy. Fruit – cooked. The fruits can be roasted then formed into cakes and dried for later use. Root – raw, boiled or roasted. Seed. Gathered and eaten by the local Indians. No further details are given, but it is probably ground into a powder and mixed with cornmeal or other flours and used for making bread, cakes etc. Immature seedpod. No more details given.(3)

Medicinal Uses: None (4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUBR

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+brevifolia

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#100(e)

Common Name: Buckley Yucca (Yucca constricta)

Appearance and Habitat: Occasional in brushy and open areas. Stem below the leaves often not present; when present more or less prostrate. Leaves stiff, sharp pointed, up to 2 feet long by 5/8 inch wide, with white fibers curling from their margins, clustered at the ends of stems or at the ground line. Flowers showy, greenish white, bell shaped, up to 2 inches long by 1 inch wide, borne in a large, branched cluster on a tall stalk, the stalk and flowers combined as much as 10 feet tall. Fruit a capsule up to 2 1/2 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide, opening from the tip.

(1) Limestone outcrops and rocky prairies in Southern N. America – Texas to Gulf of Mexico. An evergreen perennial growing to 1.5 m (5ft). It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jul to August.(2)

Edible Uses: Fruit – raw or cooked. Flowers – raw or cooked. Delicious raw, they can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. Flowering stem – cooked and used like asparagus.(3)

Medicinal Uses: None (4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUCO

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+constricta

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 #100(f)

Common Name: Soaptree Yucca, Palmilla, (Yucca elata)

Appearance and Habitat: This is a 5-20 ft., tree-like yucca with fine, arching, gray-green to blue-green leaves with white margins. Plants resemble coarse bunchgrass when young, gradually developing several heads on trunk-like stems with age. The flowering stem in 3-7 ft. long with 25-30 side branches covered with clusters of creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers. The brown, woody seed capsule is interesting. Evergreen, palmlike shrub or small tree with single trunk or several clustered trunks; unbranched or with few upright branches and very long, narrow leaves. Growth is extremely slow, about 1 (2.5 cm) in height a year. The local name Palmilla, Spanish for small palm, refers to the resemblance of this species to a palm.(1)Mesas, desert washes, plains and desert grasslands, and in deserts, normally between 500 – 2000 meters in Southern N. America – Texas, Arizona, northern Mexico. An evergreen shrub growing to 2 m (6ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jul to August, and the seeds ripen from Sep to October.(2)

Edible Uses: Fruit – raw or cooked. The fruit is a dry capsule up to 5cm long and 36mm wide. Seedpods. We are not sure how this differs from the fruit but one report mentions edible fruit as well as an edible seedpod. Flowers – raw or cooked. Delicious raw, they can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. The flowers are boiled and eaten as a vegetable. Used in preserves. Flowering stem – cooked and used like asparagus. The stems were slow baked for several hours, then dried and broken into pieces to store. They would be soaked in water to soften them before being eaten.(3)

Medicinal Uses: None (4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUEL

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+elata

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#100(g)

Common Name: Adam’s Needle, Spoonleaf Yucca  (Yucca filamentosa)

Appearance and Habitat: A 6 ft. flowering stalk rises above 2-3 ft. high clumps of erect, dagger-like, blue-green leaves. The flowers are cream-colored and are followed by persistent seed pods. A tall, stout stem rises from a rosette of rigid, sword-like leaves and bears a loose cluster of white, nodding, bell-shaped flowers. Although yuccas are more typical of western deserts and grasslands, some are native in the East. This species escapes from cultivation in the northern part of its range. Soapweed (Y. glauca) is a typical species of the western Plains, found east to Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas; its rigid, bayonet-like leaves have hairy edges, and the flowering stalk, reaching a height of 4 (1.2 m), bears a flower cluster, the base of which is reached by the leaf tips. Spanish Bayonet (Y. aloifolia), found from North Carolina south to Florida and Alabama, has toothed leaves with hairless edges. Yucca fruit can be cooked and eaten after the seeds are removed; the large petals are used in salads. Yuccas depend on the Yucca Moth as their agent of pollination, and these moths depend on yuccas for food. At flowering time the female moth gathers a mass of pollen from the anthers of the yucca and then flies to another yucca flower, where she deposits a number of eggs into the ovary among the ovules (immature seeds). Next, she places the pollen mass on the stigma of the flower, thus ensuring pollination and subsequent development of the ovules into seeds. As the seeds enlarge, they become the food source for the moth larvae. Many of the seeds remain uninjured and are eventually dispersed, potentially producing new plants. At maturity, the larvae leave the seed capsule, drop to the ground, and pupate. The adult moth emerges next season as the yuccas begin to flower.(1)Sand dunes, waste ground and pine forests along the coastal plain in South-eastern N. America – Southern New Jersey to Florida. Naturalized in S. Europe. An evergreen shrub growing to 1.2 m (4ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in) at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jul to August.(2)

Edible Uses: Fruit – raw or cooked. Large and fleshy. The fruit is often dried for winter use. Flowers – raw or dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. A tasty addition to the salad bowl. We have found the flowers to be fairly bitter. Flowering stem – cooked and used like asparagus.(3)

Medicinal Uses: Medicinal Parts: Leaves and roots of non-flowering plants. A poultice made from the roots is used in the treatment of sores, skin diseases and sprains. Liver and gallbladder disorders.(4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUFI

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+filamentosa

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 #100(h)

Common Name: Soapweed Yucca, Plains Yucca, (Yucca glauca)

Appearance and Habitat: A 3-4 ft. wide clump of pale-green, dagger-like leaves subtends the 4 1/2 ft. flowering stalk of this yucca. The 20-30 in. long leaves are evergreen, persisting for several years. Bell-shaped, greenish-white, pendulous flowers are followed by woody, oblong, cream-colored seed capsules. Soapweed Yucca is a member of the agave family (family Agavaceae). Agaves are stout plants with woody stems or stem-bases, often tall, even tree-like, the long and narrow leaves crowded in rosettes at ends of stems or branches, a stout rapidly growing flower stalk arising from the rosette. Members of this family are from tropical or warm regions, often where it is arid. There are about 20 genera and 700 species, many of which supply valuable fiber, such as sisal hemp.(1)Dry plains and sandy hills in Central N. America – Iowa to Texas and N. Dakota. An evergreen shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jul to August.(2)

Edible Uses: Fruit – raw or cooked. Dry, with a bitter skin. The fruit can be baked and either eaten immediately or formed into cakes and dried for later use. The raw fruit can be dried for winter use. The immature fruits are peeled, boiled and served with seasonings. The soaked, cooked fruit can be made into a syrup and used like hot chocolate. The fruit is up to 8cm long and 12mm wide. Flowers and flower buds – raw or cooked. Delicious raw, they can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. A delicious addition to the salad bowl, or used as a potherb. Flowering stem – raw or cooked. It can be cooked and used like asparagus. The white inner portion of the stem is eaten. Seedpods – cooked. They can be boiled or roasted and used as a vegetable. The plant crowns have been roasted and eaten in times of food shortage.(3)

Medicinal Uses: A soap made from the crushed roots is said to be an effective treatment for dandruff and skin irritations. A cold infusion of the root has been used to expedite the delivery of a child or the placenta. The root is poulticed and applied to inflammations, wounds, bleeding cuts, sprains etc. The rotten root can be crushed and boiled to make suds. Drinking these suds is said to induce the menopause in women, thereby rendering then infertile.(4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUGL

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+glauca 

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 #100(i)

Common Name: Moundlily, Spanish Dagger (Yucca gloriosa)

Appearance and Habitat: Evergreen shrub or in cultivation a small tree with stout, unbranched trunks, often clustered, and with bayonetlike leaves crowded and spreading at top. Introduced into Europe around 1550 and one of the most common yuccas in cultivation. Varieties have leaves with yellow or white stripes. The common name apparently refers to its occurrence on sand mounds and to the lilylike flowers. (1)South-eastern N. America – North Carolina to Florida. Naturalized in S. Europe. An evergreen shrub growing to 1.8 m (6ft) by 1.2 m (4ft in). It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jul to September.(2)

Edible Uses: Fruit – raw or cooked. The fruit is up to 10cm long and 26mm wide. The fruit is very rarely produced in the wild. Flowers – raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, and can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. Flowering stem – cooked and used like asparagus. Root – cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and made into a bread. (3)

Medicinal Uses: (The fruit is purgative. The root is detergent.(4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUGL2

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+gloriosa

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#100(j)

Common Name: Spanish bayonet (Yucca harrimaniae)

Appearance and Habitat: High plains grasslands to open coniferous woods in Central N. America – Utah to Colorado. An evergreen shrub growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf 12-Jan.

Edible Uses: Fruit – the immature fruit is cooked. A bitter taste, but most of the bitterness is in the skin. Flowers – raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, and can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. Flowering stem – peeled, cooked and used like asparagus. The whitish inner portion is eaten. Medicinal Uses: None 

Foot Notes: all http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+harrimaniae

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#100(k)

Common Name: Curve-Leaf Yucca (Yucca recurvifolia)

Appearance and Habitat: Dunes on coastal plains in South-eastern N. America – Georgia to Missouri and Louisiana. An evergreen shrub growing to 2.5 m (8ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in). It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Sep to October.

Edible Uses: Fruit – raw or cooked. Flowers – raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, and can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. A crisp crunchy texture, the flowers are very substantial and need to be well chewed. They have a slightly bitter flavour. Flowering stem – cooked and used like asparagus.

Medicinal Uses: None 

Foot Notes: all http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+recurvifolia

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 #100(l)

Common Name: Mojave Yucca (Yucca schidigera )

Native American Name: Viemp ( tall one – Moapa Paiute) Ooss, ( short one – Moapa Paiute)
Appearance and Habitat: Evergreen shrub or small tree, usually with several clustered trunks, often with few upright branches, and with bayonetlike leaves. Native Americans ate the fleshy fruit, either fresh or roasted, and used the fibrous leaves for ropes and coarse blankets. A soap substitute can be obtained from the roots and trunks of this and other yuccas. Flowers in the Yucca genus depend upon the small, white pronuba moth (Tegeticula) for pollination. The female moth gathers pollen and works it into a tiny ball before pushing it against the stigma of another flower, where she deposits her eggs in the ovary. The larvae feed on the developing friut capsule but leave some seeds to mature. This is a common yucca in the Mojave Desert, often growing with Joshua Tree (Y. brevifolia), a tree-like species that often forms forests.(1)Found in desert habitats in chaparral and creosote bush scrub from sea level to 2500 meters in South-western N. America – California, Arizona and Nevada. An evergreen tree Tree growing to 4.5 m (14ft 9in). It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf 12-Jan.(2)

Edible Uses: Young flowering stems – chopped and cooked like asparagus or baked like a sweet potato. Fruit – raw or cooked. Baked then dried and ground into a powder then used in soups etc or made into a drink. The fruit can also be used to make jellies. Flowers – raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, and can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring and can also be used in jellies.(3)

Medicinal Uses: None (4)

Foot Notes: (1) http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUSC2

Foot Notes: (2, 3, 4) http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Yucca+schidigera

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(Now for Michael Moore, who  covers western species, Yucca baccata, Y. elata, Y. glauca, Y. schidigera)

Appearance and Habitat: A common distinct plant that has elongated leaves with spines on the tips. As they grow they shed the outside leaves with new ones forming in the center. When it blooms it has a 2 to 5 foot flower stock, depending on the species. The flowers are lily-like and cream colored with brown specks or yellow green in the smaller varieties. They usually form stands that can cover a valley floor or look on dry mountain slopes. They are more common in the higher desert, even growing into the Pinyon and Juniper forests. They can even be found in the ponderosa belt.
Medicinal Uses: Collect the root any time of year and split it length-wise before placing it in a cheese cloth pocket to dry in the shade. For use as medicine remove the bark, but leave it on if you wish to use it as a shampoo for your hair. Yucca’s used to be the main source of phytosterols that were used in the manufacture of steroidal hormones, currently used as a sudsing agent for soaps. It works well for arthritic pain and joint inflammations. For medical use, boil 1/4 ounce of the dried root in a pint of water for at least 15 minutes. Let it cool, and drink in 3 or 4 doses through the day. If you get a strong laxative effect, with intestinal cramping, reduce the amount of root that you use next time. Or increase the amount of root used if it isn’t working as a laxative and the pain persists. Arthritis is hard to treat, but if this works for you it will stop the pain for several days. Long term daily use can keep the small intestine from absorbing fat – soluble vitamins. The tea from the root also helps with prostate inflammations as well. The tea has also been shown to reduce triglycerides and cholesterols in the blood.

  Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West by Michael Moore, page 169, Publisher: Museum of New Mexico Press, Copyright 1979, ISBN 0-89013-104-X

Native American Names were from Indian Uses of Native Plants by Edith Van Allen Murphey, page 74, Publisher: Meyerbooks, Copyright 1990, ISBN 0-916638-15-4

 

Reproduced, in part, (as well as previous postings under this title) in accordance with Section 107 of title 17 of the Copyright Law of the United States relating to fair-use and is for the purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.