Micromeria chamissonis
| Micromeria chamissonis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 0.3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Micromeria chamissonis (common name: yerba buena)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Basal cuttings in early summer. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Division of the rooted prostrate stems in the spring.
Cultivation: Prefers an open position in a well-drained soil[1]. Succeeds in poor soils[2]. Plants grow best and live longer when grown in an open sunny position and a dry sandy soil[3].
A prostate plant, the stems forming roots at the leaf axils wherever they come into contact with the soil[3].
The bruised leaves release a most refreshing lemony scent resembling verbena[3].
Range: Western N. America - southern British Columbia to southern California.
Habitat: Coniferous woods[4].
Edibility: The dried leaves, steeped in boiling water, make a palatable mint-flavoured tea[5][6][7][8]. The dried leafy spines are used according to other reports[9][10].
Medicinal: The whole plant is aphrodisiac, blood purifier, mildly digestive, febrifuge, sedative and tonic[6][7][8]. An infusion can be used in the treatment of insomnia, colic, upset stomachs, kidney problems, colds and fevers[8]. A decoction of the plant has been used to get rid of pinworms[8]. The decoction has also been used as an aphrodisiac[8].
A poultice of the warm leaves have been applied to the jaw, or the plant held in the mouth, as a treatment for toothache[8].
Usage: The leaves have been placed in clothing as a perfume[8].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: M. douglasii. Satureia douglasii. (Benth.)Briq. Thymus chamissonis. T. douglasii.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.