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Balsamorhiza sagittata
| Common name: |
Oregon Sunflower |
Family: |
Compositae |
| Author: |
(Pursh.)Nutt. |
Botanical references: |
60, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Western N. America - South Dakota to British Columbia, south to California and Colorado. |
| Habitat: |
Open hillsides and flat land up to moderate elevations, especially on deep soils[60]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
4 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| B. bonseri[P]
Buphthalmum sagittatum[G]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Arrow-leaf Balsamroot [B], Arrowleaf Balsamroot [P,FEIS], Arrowleafed Balsam Root [H], Balsam Root [H,S], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
sagittata = arrowhead shaped;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Us(Flathead)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.3m. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 4/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Coffee; Leaves; Root; Seed; Stem.
Root - raw or cooked[46, 61, 106, 161, 257]. The root has a thick crown
that is edible raw[213]. Roots have a sweet taste when cooked[2, 183]. A long
slow baking is best, the Flathead Indians would bake them in a fire pit for
at least 3 days[183]. The roots are resinous and woody with a taste like
balsam[212].
Young shoots - raw or cooked[161, 257]. Added to salads or used as a
potherb[183].
The large leaves and petioles are boiled and eaten[207]. When eaten in large
quantities they act like sleeping pills to cause sleepiness[257].
The young flowering stem can be peeled and eaten raw like celery[183, 257].
Seed - raw or cooked[2, 94, 101, 161]. A highly prized source of food[257].
It can be roasted, ground into a powder and used with cereals when making
bread[183, 257]. The raw seed can also be ground into a powder then formed
into cakes and eaten without cooking[257]. The seed is rich in oil[213].
Oil. The seed was a prized source of oil for many native North
Americans[257].
The roasted root is a coffee substitute[177, 183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antirheumatic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Febrifuge; Odontalgic; Poultice; Skin; Stomachic; Vulnerary.
Oregon sunflower was quite widely employed as a medicinal herb by
various native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of
complaints, but especially stomach problems[257]. It is little used in modern
herbalism.
The root is antirheumatic, diuretic, cathartic, diaphoretic, febrifuge and
vulnerary[94, 257]. An infusion of the leaves, roots and stems has been used
as a treatment for stomach pains, colds, whooping cough, TB, fevers and
headaches[257]. A decoction of the root has been taken at the beginning of
labour to insure easy delivery[257]. The juice from the chewed root is
allowed to trickle down the throat to treat sore mouths and throats whilst
the root has also been chewed to treat toothaches[257]. The smoke from the
root has been inhaled as a remedy for body aches such as rheumatism[257]. The
root is chewed or pounded and used as a paste on wounds, blisters, bites,
swellings and sores[207, 257].
A poultice made from the coarse, large leaves has been used to treat severe
burns[257]. An infusion of the leaves has been used as a wash for poison ivy
rash and running sores[257].
The seeds have been eaten as a treatment for dysentery[257].
Other Uses
Hair; Insulation.
The large hairy leaves are used as an insulation in shoes to keep the
feet warm[99].
An infusion of the root has been rubbed into the scalp to promote hair
growth[257].
Cultivation details
Requires a deep fertile well-drained loam in full sun[134, 200]. Plants
strongly resent winter wet[134, 200].
Hardy to at least -25°c[200].
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and should be planted into their
permanent positions whilst still small[134]. They withstand heavy grazing in
the wild[212].
Propagation
Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed.
Germination usually takes place within 2 - 6 days at 18°c. Either sow the
seed in individual pots or pot up the seedlings as soon as they are large
enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the
summer[134].
Division in spring. Very difficult since the plant strongly resents root
disturbance[134]. It is probably best to take quite small divisions, or basal
cuttings, without disturbing the main clump. Pot these up into individual
pots and keep them in light shade in the greenhouse until they are growing
away well. Plant them out in the summer if they have grown sufficiently,
otherwise over-winter them in the greenhouse and plant out in late spring.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [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.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- Images
from the CalPhoto database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] SW USA Dist. Maps
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [FEIS] Data
(Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[94] Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962 ISBN 0-911010-54-8
Useful wild plants in Western N. America. A pocket guide.
[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.
[101] Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences 1978
A very readable guide to some wild foods of Canada.
[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.
[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[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.
[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
[212] Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963 ISBN 63-7093
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[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.
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