Lithospermum ruderale | |
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Lithospermum ruderale in Wenas Wildlife Area, Washington | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Boraginales |
Family: | Boraginaceae |
Genus: | Lithospermum |
Species: | L. ruderale |
Binomial name | |
Lithospermum ruderale | |
Lithospermum ruderale is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name western stoneseed or lemonweed. It is native to western Canada and the western United States, where it can be found in many types of habitat. A perennial herb growing from a taproot and woody caudex, it is covered with fine, more or less upright, hairs, especially on the stems. It produces a cluster of erect leafy stems ranging from 20 to 50 centimetres (7+7⁄8 to 19+5⁄8 in) centimeters in height. The stems support lance-shaped leaves ranging from 2.5–10 cm (1–4 in) in length. [2] Bunches of flowers with leaf-like bracts appear toward the top of the stem amongst the leaves. The corolla is fused at the base with five lobes [2] which are light yellow, often slightly greenish, and about a centimeter long and wide. The style is short. The fruit consists of one or two, sometimes four, clustered glossy grey nutlets, 3.5 to 6, sometimes as much as 8 mm long.
The plant was used as a contraceptive by several Native American groups, including the Navajo and Shoshone. [3] Studies on mice show the plant reduced their fertility. [4] Plains Indians also used the roots to treat respiratory issues and cooked them as food. [2]
Lithospermum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. The genus is distributed nearly worldwide, but most are native to the Americas and the center of diversity is in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Species are known generally as gromwells or stoneseeds.
Lithospermum officinale, or common gromwell or European stoneseed, is a flowering plant species in the family Boraginaceae, native to Eurasia. It is the host plant for caterpillars of the monophagous moth Ethmia dodecea.
Lithospermum incisum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by several common names, including fringed puccoon, narrowleaf stoneseed, fringed gromwell, narrowleaf puccoon, and plains stoneseed. It is native to much of central Canada and the United States, where it is known from many types of habitat, but particularly piñon-juniper woodland. It is a hairy perennial herb growing from a narrow brown to black taproot and woody caudex. It produces a cluster of stems up to about 30 centimeters long. The stems are lined with narrow, pointed leaves up to 6 centimeters long. The slender, trumpet-shaped flowers are pale to bright yellow or gold, and may approach 4 centimeters long. The corolla face is 1 to 2 centimeters wide, its lobes sometimes ruffled. The smaller cleistogamous (closed) flowers are the main producers of seed.
Lithospermum canescens, or the hoary puccoon is a perennial herb endemic to eastern North America. The plant grows in a variety of habitats. It has golden yellow flowers which bloom from April to May.
Krascheninnikovia lanata is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae, known by the common name winterfat. It is native to much of western North America: from central Western Canada; through the Western United States; to northern Mexico.
Chenopodium atrovirens is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names pinyon goosefoot and dark goosefoot.
Cirsium brevistylum is a species of thistle known by the common names Indian thistle and clustered thistle. It is native to western North America having been found in southwestern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and California.
Glinus lotoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Molluginaceae known by the common names damascisa and lotus sweetjuice. It is native to Eurasia and Africa and it is known in many other places as an introduced species.
Lithospermum californicum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name California stoneseed. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California, where it can be found in many types of mountain habitat, such as forest, woodland, and chaparral, sometimes on serpentine soils.
Lupinus brevicaulis is a species of lupine known by the common names shortstem lupine and sand lupine. It is native to the southwestern United States, including Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, where it grows in many types of sandy habitat.
Mentzelia micrantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name San Luis blazingstar.
Mentzelia veatchiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name Veatch's blazingstar.
Mertensia oblongifolia is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names oblongleaf bluebells and sagebrush bluebells.
Porophyllum gracile is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names odora and slender poreleaf. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States from California to Texas, where it can be found in rocky and sandy desert scrub habitat.
Rosa pisocarpa is a species of rose known by the common name cluster rose or swamp rose. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it generally grows in moist habitats. It is a shrub sometimes forming a thicket, and growing up to 2.5 meters tall. The stems can be dark red or blackish and are often studded with straight, paired prickles at nodes. The leaves are each made up of several toothed oval leaflets, the terminal leaflet up to 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a cyme of up to 10 flowers with pink petals each up to 2 centimeters in length. The fruit is a rose hip about a centimeter wide. The hips are pear- or egg-shaped and borne in clusters, and are decorative in fall and early winter, when they are red or reddish-purple and contrast with yellow foliage. Fall foliage can be yellow or dark red.
Salix lemmonii is a species of willow known by the common name Lemmon's willow, named after J.G. Lemmon. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist and wet areas in mountain coniferous forest habitat, such as streambanks and meadows.
Packera layneae, known by the common name Layne's ragwort and Layne's butterweed, is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family.
Solidago multiradiata is a species of goldenrod known by the common names Rocky Mountain goldenrod, northern goldenrod, and alpine goldenrod. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout the northern regions, including Alaska and most of Canada (all 3 territories plus all provinces except Prince Edward Island, including territory north of the Arctic Circle. Its distribution extends through the western United States as far south as Arizona, New Mexico, and California. It is known mostly from the subalpine and alpine climates of high mountain ranges. Its habitat includes tundra and mountain meadows.
Xanthium spinosum is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by many common names, including spiny cocklebur, prickly burweed and Bathurst burr. This species is part of the genus Xanthium that encompasses 25 different species of flowering plants of the daisy family, Asteraceae, and sunflower tribe.
Notholithocarpus densiflorus, commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak, is a broadleaf tree in the family Fagaceae, and the type species of the genus Notholithocarpus. It is native to the far western United States, particularly Oregon and California. It ranges from 15–40 meters in height, with a trunk diameter of 60–190 centimeters.