Osmorhiza occidentalis
| Osmorhiza occidentalis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Osmorhiza occidentalis (common name: western sweet-cicely)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise sow it in early spring. 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.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any deep moisture-retentive soil in sun or dappled shade[1].
Plants are hardy to about -20°c[1].
Well suited to naturalistic plantings in a woodland or wild garden[1]. A sweetly aromatic plant[1].
Range: Western N. America.
Habitat: Shady or partly shady areas, often on slopes and in valleys[2][3].
Edibility: The root has a sweet liquorice or anise flavour and can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a flavouring for biscuits etc[3][4][5]. The taste is probably too strong for the whole root to be used as a vegetable[3].
The dried seeds are used as a flavouring[3][4][5]. The unripe seed, when still fleshy, can be nibbled raw[3][4].
Medicinal: Western sweet-cicely was widely employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it particularly to treat digestive disorders and as an antiseptic wash for a range of problems[5]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
An infusion of the plant is used in the treatment of coughs and colds[6][5].
The roots are antiseptic, carminative, febrifuge, oxytocic, pectoral and stomachic[5]. An infusion has been used to induce labour in a pregnant woman and to treat fevers, indigestion, flatulence, stomach aches etc[5]. An infusion of the roots has been applied externally as a treatment for swollen breasts, sores, sore eyes etc[5]. A decoction of the root has been used as a wash on venereal sores and skin rashes[5]. A poultice of the pulped roots has been used in the treatment of cuts, sores, swellings and bruises[5].
The root has been applied to teeth to relive the pain of toothache[5].
A hot decoction of the root has been used to kill head lice[5].
Usage: The roots have been used by women as a feminine deodorant[5]. They have also been placed in the clothes cupboard to impart a nice smell to clothes and have been used to rinse babies nappies[5].
A decoction of the root has been used as a dip to kill lice in chickens[5].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.