Wyethia mollis
| Wyethia mollis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Wyethia mollis (common name: woolly wyethia)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse or cold frame in early spring. Use a very freely-draining compost, prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are large enough.
Careful division of the crown as the plants come into growth in spring[1].
Cultivation: Requires a free-draining, gritty but moisture-retentive soil in a sunny position[1]. This species is more tolerant of drought than other members of the genus[1].
Plants are not hardy in the colder areas of Britain[1].
Range: South-western N. America - Oregon to California.
Habitat: Dry wooded slopes and rocky openings, 1500 - 3000 metres in California[2].
Edibility: Root - cooked. A sweet and agreeable flavour[3]. The N. American Indians dug pits in the ground which they lined with large stones. They then burnt a fire on top of the stones until the stones were hot. The roots were placed on these hot stones, sealed in with fern leaves and earth and then fermented for one or two days[3].
Seed - raw or cooked[4]. The seed can be used as a piñole, or it can be ground into a powder and used as a mush or mixed with cereals flours to make bread etc[4].
Medicinal: The root is antiphlogistic, diaphoretic, emetic and febrifuge[3][4]. A decoction has been used as a blood tonic and also in the treatment of tuberculosis, venereal diseases, colds and fevers[4]. A poultice of the crushed roots has been applied to swellings[4].
A poultice of the crushed leaves has been applied to sprains, swellings and broken bones[4].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: One report suggests that the leaves might be poisonous[3].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.