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Acourtia microcephala

Common name:	Sacapellote	Family:	Compositae
Author:	DC.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Perezia microcephala ((DC.)A.Gray.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - California.
Habitat:	Dry sunny slopes[257].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Sacapellote [P,B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	microcephala = small headed
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.4m. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

A decoction of the plant has been used to bring about a very quick passage of the bowels[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a freely draining gritty soil, preferably of fairly low fertility, and a position in full sun[200]. Dislikes winter wet.
Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain, though they should succeed in the milder areas of the country, especially if given the additional protection of a wall. They are hardy to about -10° c, so long as they are not too wet[257]. Excess moisture, especially in the winter, is the main cause of death.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse in a gritty well-drained compost, and only just cover the seed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter, being careful not to over-water. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Division in the spring.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Acourtia+microcephala
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Acourtia+microcephala

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.