XIpomopsis aggregata - SkyrocketX
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Skyrocket -or- Desert Trumpets -or- Skunk Flower (Ipomopsis aggregata), family Polemoniaceae (Phlox)
The area was rather dry so the name Desert Trumpets hit the spot nicely. The flowers are supposedly easy to grow from seed. Another common name is the Scarlet Gilia - they were once classed in that family in error. Ipomopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae. It is native to western North America, growing mainly in the central to western regions and ranging from as far north as British Columbia to Mexico, per WIKIPEDIA.
USES: This species has one record of Native American use from the website Native American Ethnobotany: Great Basin Indian (Blood Medicine) Infusion of whole plant used for blood disease. Many more uses are listed for the subspecies aggregata. The website Plants For a Future has this: The plant has been boiled up as a tea. The nectar is sucked from the flowers by children. The whole plant is cathartic and emetic. The leaves are steeped in hot water until the water turns a bright green, this liquid is taken in small doses as a tonic for the blood. An infusion of the whole plant has been used to treat blood diseases. A decoction has been used as a disinfectant wash on itchy skin. A poultice of the whole plant has been applied to rheumatic joints. An infusion of the roots is used as a laxative and in the treatment of high fevers, colds. The plant is reported to contain saponins and so could possibly be used as a soap substitute. A decoction of the plant has been used as a face and hair wash by adolescent girls. The whole plant has been boiled up to make a glue.
See photographs of the gorgeous color variations of this species here.
See photographs of the white subspecies candida here.
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Plant location: Flower and foliage view from Cle Elum Washington - June 6, 2007. Plant view Hwy 40, Colorado - July 5, 2011. The species is located in the following United States: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OK, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY.Plant -
Bloom period: This plant enjoys a fairly generous amount of time to show off - May through September.Foliage -
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