DICOTS--page
one
Sumac Family
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Latin name
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common names
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medical, herbal or nutritional use
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Toxidendron
diversilobum
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Poison Oak
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most people have a highly allergic reaction to the oil of
the leaves. Other members of this botanical family were used
in lacquer in ancient China and Japan. If poison oak is
encountered in the field, rubbing mugwort LEAVES on the
affected areas will nullify the effects (mugwort blooms can
get stickery).
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Parsley
Family--Apiaceae
or Umbelliferae
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Latin Botanical Name
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common names
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medical, herbal or nutritional use
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Cicuta douglassii
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Western Water Hemlock
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VERY poisonous, some Natives used it externally for
poltices, but it's not recommended.
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Conium
maculatum
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Poison Hemlock
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This is alleged to be the herb that Socrates used to
poison himself (399 BC): according to old lore, the death by
drinking tea of this substance is painless, but other
sources say it caused great pain if a lighter dose is taken.
The Hemlock
Society can be found at this link.
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Daucus
carota
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Wild carrot
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Wild Carrot: there is a good chance this has arisen from
domesticated carrots; apparently garden carrots (brought
from Europa), when they go wild, rapidly revert to their
original form via cross pollenation (Gibbons). Tonics and
teas made from the wild carrot are said to be good for "what
ails ya" especially flatulance and digestion. Seeds make
good soup seasoning, and the seeds are also indicated for
contraception! (go figure). Make sure you have the right
thing before you make tea out of it, as some members of the
carrot family are poison and they can look alike. Drying and
making tea from the tops of store-bought carrots is probably
about the same, and a lot safer.
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Heracleum
lanatum
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Cow Parsnip
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Raw, might cause skin rash if sensitive. Cooked, it can
be eaten. Make sure you have the right thing though!
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Oenanthe
sarmentosa
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Wild Celery, or Water Parsley
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Used by Greeks to flavor wine, listed as poison, chewed
for stomach and headache. Go figure, what a versatile weed!
:P
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Osmorhiza berterol
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Common Sweet Cicily
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Has a sweet smell, and many gardeners grow it simple for
the pleasure of smelling it. It is also known as chervil.
Several different species of this exist, the others being
native to Europe where it has been used long in cooking.
Chervil--cicely--widly used as a culinary spice. Slightly
sweet, enhances other herbs. Good for digestion, increases
perspiration during fevers, some say it lowers blood
pressure. Good raw or as tea. Can be used as astringent for
face. Companions well with radishes, and is ok in the shade.
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Ginseng Family--Araliaceae
Aristolochiaceae-- Dutchman's Pipe
Family
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Latin Botanical Name
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common name
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Medical, herbal or nutritional use
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Asarum
caudatum
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Wild Ginger
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Its stems and roots are used in cooking. Dried and
chopped roots have been used as a spice. Tea from its roots
reportedly combat flatulence and stomach aches. It has been
used as a cure for whooping cough and tuberculosis. The
crushed leaves smell like ginger, makes a great bath herb.
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Barbarry Family--Berberidaceae
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Latin Botanical name
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common name
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Medicinal, Herbal or food usage
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Achlys
triphylla
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Vanilla Leaf, or Deer Foot, Sweet After-death
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Flower has a sweet vanilla flavor, the leaves indeed look
like a deer foot with three toes. Natives used to hang
bunches of this around the house to keep down the insects.
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Berberis aquifolium
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Tall Oregon Grape
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Fruit is edible: leaf has a more prominant vein in the
center, than nervosa. Green tips of leaves are edible
when new, and tart.
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Berberis nervosa
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Mountain Oregon Grape
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Fruit is edible
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Click here to go to the Asteraceae Family
(Sunflowers)
Birch Family--Betulaceae
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Latin Botanical Name
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common name
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Medicinal, Herbal or food usage
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Alnus
rubra
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Red alder
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This is the first tree to appear in disturbed soil, the
roots are beneficial to the Nitrogen fixing bacteria in the
soil.
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Borage Family--Boraginceae
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Latin Botanical Name
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common name
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Medical, Herbal or food usage
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Myosotis
discolor
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Small Blue Forget me not
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The flowers are both yellow and blue. Not to be
confused with a hairy species by the same name. Old
treatment claimed this was what to use on dog and snake
bites.
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Mustard
Family--Brassicaceas
or Cruciferae
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Latin Botanical Name
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common name
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Medical, Herbal or food usage
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Brassica
rapa
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Wild Turnip
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This is neat link
http://hcs.osu.edu/hort/biology/Lab/brassicalab.html
there are a LOT of links on this plant out there, it is the
source of Rape seed cooking oil, apparently a very lucrative
market.
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Cakile
edentula
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Sea Rocket
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Capsella
bursa-pastoris
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Shepherd's Purse
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Be sure to note the shape of the leaves in these, they
are a little different than the bittercress, but the plant
is structured the same. Indicated as use in clotting blood
and controlling bleeding, internal use? Certainly you can
try it externally for bleeding. Levy gives the recipe of
three handfuls of herb to 3/4 a pint of water: after bathing
the wound, the Gypsies used to apply spider webs! Has
Vitamin K. Seeds exude sticky glue that traps mosquito
larvae when sprinkled in water. All mustards take salt OUT
of the soil, and return it in beneficial ways. In salty
soil, it can be grown to improve the land for other usuages.
(Riotte)
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Cardamine olgiosperma
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Little Western Bittercress
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Can be eaten in salads, be sure to not spray the yard
before picking. Common weed.
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Lunaria
annua
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Money Plant, Moonwort, Honesty
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"Lunaria" means "of the Moon"; indeed the seed
receptacles resemble coins or little moons, and are
transparent. They are widely used as ornamentals and in
floral arrangements, in their dried state. Blossoms are a
little more fushia-colored than the link shows.
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Cannabaceae or Marijuana Family--I
saved this until after I had my grade: this is also common in growth
up here, and I think everyone interested in local botany should know
more about identification of this plant. It grows very well here
(beer hops is included!), and this is a very informative link:
http://leda.lycaeum.org/Taxonomy/Cannabaceae.69.shtml
Honeysuckle Family--Caprifoliaceae
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Latin or Botanical name
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common name
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Medical, Herbal or edible usage
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Linnaea
borealis
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Twinflower
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Used by Native Americans to brew tea!
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Lonicera
involucrata
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Bush Honeysuckle
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Lonicera caprifolium is mentioned by Rose as
having similar properties as the Sambucus racemosa
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Lonicera
ciliosa
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Climbing Honeysuckle
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Lonicera
hispidula
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Pink Honeysuckle
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Symphoricarpos
albus
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Snowberry
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"Albus" means "white" in Latin. It is also apparently
found in Germany, from the wonderful link!
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Sambucus
racemosa
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Red Elderberry
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Bears love these berries. Berries have Vitamin C.
Blossoms indicated for external skin care, Betel has several
recipes for mixing with lard and such, and applying to skin;
good for sunburn and face. Blossoms brew up well in tea,
with peppermint for a good cold remedy. Used to dye grasses
for basket weaving. Flowers have oil used in perfumes and
cosmetics. Leaves are offensive to moles and can be used in
their runs to discourage them. Cutworm traps can be made
from placing piles of these (half buried) in the garden,
where the cut worms infest them, and they can be removed en
masse. Herbs don't like the tree and don't grow near it.
(Riotte)
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Pink Family--Caryophyllacae
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Latin or Botanical Name
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common name
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Medical, Herbal or edible usuage
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Cerastium
arvense
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Field or Prarie Chickweed
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Cerastium
fontanum
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Mouse eared Chickweed
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Lychnis
coronaria
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Mullein Pink, or Rose Campion
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Spergula
arvensis
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Starwort
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Spergularia
rubra
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Red Sanspurry
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Also found in Northern Ireland
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Stellaria
media
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Common Chickweed
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This appears to be a "cheesecake" site, but I thought
everyone might enjoy a little joke :)
http://members.home.ne.jp/hakobe/
Strip leaves off stem, eat fresh in salad or simmer with
butter and lemon juice. It is rich in copper and iron,
excellent tonic as tea.Laxitive. Use on external irritations
and for healing, mixing leaves with boiling lard was
mentioned (blugh) for external use; Levy recommended
vegetable oil and gives a good recipe. Eye lotion, gently
boil one handful of herb in 3/4 cup of water, and apply to
affected areas. Raw in salads help with weight loss. "Good
for what ails ya".
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Chenophodiaceae--Pigweed or Goosefoot
Family
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Latin or Botanical Name
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common name
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edible or herbal medicinal usage
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Chenopodium
album
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Fat Hen, white goosefoot, pigweed, dungweed lamb's
quarter's.
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Eaten as potherb, rich in iron and minerals and vitamins.
Last meal of the Tollund Man, a former resident of the Iron
Age, who was found preserved in a peat bog, so this has been
around a while. Ok to leave in the garden, actually
beneficial to many veges, especially potatos. Rich Vitamins
A, C and in calcium. Some herbals recommend sparing internal
use of this.
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Salicornia
virginica
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Woody Glasswort or Pickleweed
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My dog really liked this stuff :) it has a mildly salty
taste, briny. One herbal mentioned that it is now sold in
trendy salad stores. The ashes from it were used in glass
making, thus the name. Halophytic, grows near the seashore.
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Atriplex Patula
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Beach Salt-bush
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Snitched from an old herbal: A pound of these bruised,
and put into three quarts of spirit, of moderate strength,
after standing six weeks, afford a light and not unpleasant
tincture; a tablespoonful of which, taken in a cup of
water-gruel, has the same effect as a dose of ipecacuanha,
only that its operation is milder and does not bind the
bowels afterwards.... It cures headaches, wandering pains,
and the first attacks of rheumatism.'
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Convolvulaceae--Morning Glory Family
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Latin or Botanical Name
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common name
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herbal medicinal or edible usage
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Calystegia
sepium
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Large Wild Morning Glory
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These caused a good deal of mirth in the 60's, as this
was alleged to give you a "good high" if smoked. No evidence
to back up those assertions was ever found. Native Americans
said it was good to grow in the corn. For those who don't
like this, spray a little vinegar in the center of each
vine, that seems to get rid of it.
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Convolvulus
arvensis
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Field Bindweed
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Cornaceae--Dogwood Family
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Latin or Botanical Name
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common name
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herbal medicinal or edible usage
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Cornus nuttalii
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Western Flowering Dogwood
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The first picture of this is represented in Audubon's
illustrations...a sample was sent to him by Nuttal, thus the
name.
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Cornus
sericea
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Creek Dogwood
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C. amomum the fragrent inner bark was used
by Native Americans for smoking.
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Corylaceae--Hazel Family
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Latin or Botanical name
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common name
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herbal, medicinal or edible usage
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Corylus
cornuta
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Western Hazel
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These are the trees that grow Filberts! However, the
American version is a bit smaller than the commonly grown,
imported European species
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Stonecrop Family Crassulaceae
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Latin or Botanical Name
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common name
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herbal, medicinal, or edible usage
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Sedum
spathulifolium
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Broad-leaved Stonecrop
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Looks a little like hens and chickens. This is a good
example of wondering....if hens and chicks juice is good
rubbed on burns, would this work too?
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Sundew Family--Droseracaeae
Heath Family--Ericaceae
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Latin or Botanical name
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common name
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herbal, medicinal or edible usuage
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Arbutus
menziesii
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Pacific Madrone
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This renders very bright red berries that birds seem to
love eating...they are wonderful to attract birds. I think
this is one that ferments, and the birds REALLY flock to
that! This can be very funny to watch, we actually had to
keep the dog in, so he didn't kill the incapacitated robins
flopping on the ground under the tree!
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Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi
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Kennikinnic (Latin translates as "bear grape"), Upland
cranberry
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Yes can be made into jellies (Gibbons had a great recipe
in his book). The true use of this is medicinal: leaves
should be gathered in the early Fall, only the good
leaves used (chuck out the insect chewed ones) and
dried/used as tea is apparently really a good cure for
urinary tract infections, including uretheritis (?) Don't
laugh 'til you try it, there is truely a sound medical
explanation for the effectiveness of cranberry juice, and
this is apparently just as legitimate. However, your tinkle
might turn a bit green :) Large doses are toxic, be
careful! Tea from leaves also good for bronchitis.
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Gaultheria
shallon
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Salal
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the link shows white blooms, the specimins I've seen have
had lt pink blooms.
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Rhododendron
macrophyllum
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Wester Rhododendron
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Interesting note: flies, carpenter bees and other
pollenators appear to be attracted more to this native than
to hybrid varigars! About 40 different species of azaleas
(rhodies) grow wild in North America. They prefer acid soil.
State Flower of Washington
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Vaccinium
ovatum
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Common Evergreen Huckleberry
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edible berries. Tips of the green leaves are also edible,
and rather tasty, sour.
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Vaccinium
parvifolium
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Red Huckleberry, Whortleberry
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edible berries: ditto above. V. reticulatum is the
Oho berry, native to Hawaii, and one of Madam Pele's
favorite foods. In fact, she will stop volcano eruptions if
you throw these to her.
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Arctostaphylos
columbiana
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Hairy Manzanita
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I seem to recall the Manzanita oil might be good for pest
control, and bad for sensitive skin. Certainly the dead
branches make wonderful decorator accutrements.
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Spurge Family--Euphorbiaceae
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Latin or Botanical
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common name
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herbal, medical, or edible
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Euphorbia
peplus
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Petty Spurge
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don't take internally.
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Pea
Family--Fabaceae
Click
>>>>>here<<<<
for info on seed ID in this family. Word of caution: many of this
family are toxic, and all care should be taken that children don't
chomp into a wild seed pod, thinking it is something good to eat!
However, peas are beneficial in that they encourage the growth of
bacteria that fix Nitrogen in the soil. Pacific Northwest Natives may
have called the pods "Raven's Canoe".
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Latin or Botanical
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common name
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herbal, medical or edible
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Cytisus
scoparius
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Scotch Broom
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I found a very weird medical page on this, but it's in
French, check it out
http://www.homeoint.org/seror/pathog/cytisus.htm
American natives have no tradition of using this, my
information is from European herbals. Tops and young buds
have been eaten and smoked, (mild hallucinagin: Rose)
but modern herbals mostly warn against this, saying it has a
"narcotic and dangerous effect". Tea "for dropsy" from the
tops is in many old herbals: proceed with caution!!! Old
herbalists called this "Planta genista". My herbal actually
tells you how to propagate it! I'd like to know how to get
rid of it! Levy has no fear with this plant, says that
European peasants use the dried branches for winter sheep
fodder, and the Russians use the tops for rabies! Twigs
crushed in oil are lice repellant. Effectiveness may depend
on where it is grown.
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Lathyrus
japonicus
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Purple Beach Pea
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Lathyrus
latifolius
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Perennial Sweet Pea
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Lotus
corniculatus
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Bird's Foot Trefoil
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Lupinus
latifolius
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Broad-leaf Lupine
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Lupine: "lupus" means wolf, and apparently early farmers
considered this a "wolf like" weed, preying on other crops:
and named it thus. In fact lupines are said to help corn in
growing! (Riotte). I've oberved that the further North you
go, the bigger the species get, lupines in the Alaskan
tundra are about twice the size of the California wild
lupine. This flower apparently closes up when night falls or
something distubs the plant. Of the 100 species in North
America, no medical use indicated, some are poisonous.
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Medicago
lupulina
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Black Medic
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Melilotus
officinalis
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Yellow Sweet Clover
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Gives a sweet almond-like smell, used to flavor and scent
sausages and stuffings (especiallly rabbit) also for beer
and marinades. Used to flavor Gruyere cheese. Indicated for
use in flatulence issues :) and digestion. Fresh leaves
makes good poultice for rheumatism and cuts. Bees love it,
and it's very good for livestock too.
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Trifolium pratense
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Red Clover
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It appears to have health applications, which you may or
may not take seriously,
but click
to find and read the link. This is pretty high on most
herbal lists, in desirability. Use both internally (tea with
honey) and externally (in balms), good for "what ails ya";
mentioned are "winter illnesses" so it may be high in
Vitamin C (?). Poultice also recommened for athlete's foot!
Sooths nerves. Certainly bees love it, and this is essential
in the yard of beekeepers! (Makes the very best honey)
Bethel carries on a lot about this herb (claims it reduces
tumors and so forth), but most of her concoctions with this
involve OTHER ingredients too, so it's hard to tell where
the benefits come from. All clovers fix Nitrogen to the
soil, thus improving it for other crops. Red clover tea is
good for canaries. Blossoms are said to be the most powerful
part of the plant, medically.
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Trifolium
repens
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White Clover
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Same properties as Red Clover, to a lesser degree.
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Vicia
americana
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American Vetch
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Vicia
gigantea
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Giant Vetch
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Tonic used as hair-rinse?
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Vicia
sativa
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Cultivated Vetch
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Melilotus
alba
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White Sweet Clover
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Fumariaceae--Bleeding Heart family. Some references seemed to
think this family was now included in the Poppy family. The roots and
leaves are very similar to the Golden Poppy.
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Latin or Botanical name
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common name
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herbal, medical or edible usage
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Dicentra
formosa
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Bleeding Heart, or Dutchman's Britches
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Geranium
Family--Geraniaceae--several of these look identical from
the photos I found on line. I would highly recommed using the key to
identify properly
Grossuilariaceae--Gooseberry Family
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Latin or Botanical name
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common name
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herbal, medicinal or edible usage
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Ribes
sanguineum
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Red Flowering Currant
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fruit is edible berries
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Hydrangeaceae--Hydrangea Family
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Latin or Botanical name
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common name
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herbal, medicinal or edible usage
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Philadelphius lewisii
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Mock Orange
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Hydrophyllaceae--Water-leaf family
Hypericaceae--Saint John's Wort
Family
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Latin or Botanical name
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common name
|
herbal, medicinal or edible usage
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Hypericum
perforatum
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St. John's Wort
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Many many people have become wealthy selling this simple,
and easily obtainable herb, in the interests of easing
depression. Most home remedies I found for this ask that you
mix the herb with some sort of alchohol, which is self
defeating; alchohol is medically proven to be a depressant!
I know of no conclusive clinical studies (on depression)
with this herb that take into account placebos or expectancy
effects. Consult your physician before taking large or
persistant doses. EGAD consult your physician if you are
depressed! Use
tops for best results, picked at Midsummer (St. John's Eve,
June 24). Astringent oil made by filling glass jar with
leaves and flowers, and put in a good quality oil (olive oil
suggested). It yields a bright red oil that is good for
massage, wounds, cuts and sprains. Tea used for insommnia
and coughs. Tops produce orange dye when mordanted with
chrome. It's also supposed to be good for other nervous
issues. Can be used externally too, for general well being
and skin treatment. (Skin diseases are frequently tied to a
off-balance nervous system, medically). Levy says to steep
in olive oil for external use: two handfuls of flower to 1/2
pint of oil: put in bottle, and heat very slowly over low
fire in warm water bath, allow to steep. This oil infusion
will help close wounds. Tea is made 1 handful herb to 2
pints of water.
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