Sarcobatus vermiculatus
| Sarcobatus vermiculatus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 9' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Sarcobatus vermiculatus (common name: greasewood)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in early 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.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood are worth trying in July/August.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant[1], succeeding in a sunny position in most well-drained soils[2][1]. Tolerates alkaline and saline soils[2].
Plants can be dioecious or monoecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: South-western N. America - Nebraska and Wyoming to Nevada and New Mexico.
Habitat: Dry alkaline and saline soils[2].
Edibility: Young shoots - cooked[3][4]. Used as greens[5]. The young twigs are cut into short pieces and boiled until tender[6].
The seeds are occasionally consumed[7][3][4][6]. They are used as a food at times when other foods are in short supply[5].
Medicinal: The crushed leaves have been used to treat insect bites[5].
An infusion of the burnt plant has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and bleeding from the rectum[5].
The wood or the roots can be heated until they are burnt or blackened and then used on aching and decayed teeth[5].
Usage: The wood is used for fuel, for want of better materials in the areas where it grows wild[8].
The wood is strong[5]. It has been used in general construction[5].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Dioecious
Also Known As: S. maximilianii.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.