XNarrowleaf puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)X
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Narrowleaf puccoon -or- Narrowleaf stoneseed (Lithospermum incisum), family Boraginaceae (Borage)
Well ... ladies of child-bearing ages ... this one is for you. This information is from WIKIPEDIA: 'Gromwell contains estrogen-like compounds that disrupt the female hormonal reproductive system and suppress the normal menstrual cycle. Gromwell has been used for centuries as a female contraceptive, and L. arvensis is currently used in Europe for that purpose. Gromwell has dramatic and dangerous hormonal effects on the body and is not approved for use in the United States.' End quote. Our use for this plant, though, was to enjoy it's beauty on our first wildflower hike in the state of Colorado and later in New Mexico. It was one of many new wildflowers to us and one of the more showy flowers as well. This species is native to central Canada and the United States. They are commonly found perennials.
USES:
From the Colorado State University Extension website are the following uses of this species: Native Americans cooked and ate the root; the root has been used to make a tea. A blue dye has been obtained from the roots. The finely powdered leaves, root and stem have been rubbed on the body in the treatment of paralyzed limbs; an infusion of the root has been used in the treatment of stomach aches and kidney problems; the plant has been eaten as an oral contraceptive and also as a treatment for lung haemorrhages, coughs and colds; a cold infusion of the pulverized root and seed has been used as an eyewash; the seeds have been used as beads; the dried plant tops have been burnt as an incense. Many tribes using these plants have been recorded by the website Native American Ethnobotany: Navajo and Other as ceremonial items - Used in the Life or Knife Chant. Other tribes include Zuni, Thompson, Okanagon, Blackfoot, Montana, Shoshoni, Great Basin Indians, Ramah, Sioux, Teton, Hopi and Cheyenne as a stimulant - Chewed plant spit and blown onto face to keep a very sleepy person awake.
Flower -
Plant location: Our original sighting of these plants was on a hike in the Pawnee National Grasslands - Pawnee Butte, Trail #840 on May 26, 2008. This was an excellent hike for sighting wildflowers! We identified no less than TWENTY-FIVE new species of wildflowers on this hike. Having just moved to Colorado, this was a wonderful introduction to the Plains wildflowers of Colorado. We highly recommend this specific hike.
The photographs currently pictured were from a more recent sighting, Cimarron New Mexico, on May 12, 2010 - GPS coordinates: N36?38.547 W104?45.853 - Elevation: 6310'.
Plant -
Bloom period: March through about May. Habitats include sandy, dry sandy clay or loamy soils. The plants are foothills and montane dwellers.Foliage -
Cimarron New Mexico - May 12, 2010
Plants reach a mature height of about 20 inches. -
Pawnee Butte hike, Trail#840, Colorado - May 26, 2008
Our original sighting of Narrowleaf Puccoon, with a slightly prominent crest at the throat of the flower. -
Cimarron New Mexico - May 12, 2010
Macro of stem and node. Surfaces are covered in short, appressed (pressed close, or flat against another organ) hairs. -
Pawnee Butte hike, Trail#840, Colorado - May 26, 2008
Better view of the short, appressed (pressed close, or flat against another organ) hairs that are identifying marks of this species. -
Cimarron New Mexico - May 12, 2010
The corolla tubes of the plants are 3 - 4 times longer than the calyx, an identifying characteristic per William Weber's Colorado Flora Eastern Slope. -
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Cimarron New Mexico - May 12, 2010
The fringed petals are an identifying characteristic of this species.
Per the Colorado State University Extension website: late in the season, produces cleistogomous flowers (closed flowers which are self-pollinated). End quote. The flowers are mostly sterile at time of bloom, accomplishing reproduction later in the cycle. This flower demonstrates an inconspicuous crown or crest on the throat of the flower of Narrowleaf Puccoon. See the next panel for an example of a prominent crest from a different species of Boraginaceae (Borage). -
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Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge - Colorado - May 31, 2015
Example of a prominent crest on the throat of the flower. The species is Oreocarya flava. Oreocarya members were once included in the genus Cryptantha. William Weber differentiates the two. See the complete details on this species here. -