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Helianthemum canadense

Common name:	Frostweed	Family:	Cistaceae
Author:	(L.)Michx.	Botanical references:	43, 200, 235
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Eastern N. America - Maine to Ontario and Wisconsin, south to North Carolina and Mississippi.
Habitat:	Open woods, clearings and barrens in dry sandy soils[43]
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cistus canadensis[H] Crocanthemum canadense[B,P] H. canadense var. sabulonum[B,P] H. michauxii[H] H. rosmarinifolium[H] Heterameris canadensis[H] Lechea major[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Altinotu [E], Cistus [H], Frostplant [H], Frostweed [H,E,L], Frostwort [H], Long-branch Frostweed [B], Longbranch Frostweed [P], Rock Rose [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	canadense = northeastern America; cana = grayed due to hairs;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Violales. Rock-rose family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Na; Turkey; Us

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.35m. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from May to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects and Cleistogomy (self-pollinating without flowers ever opening). We rate it 0/5 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 and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Alterative; Antiscrophulatic; Astringent; Cancer; Tonic.

The dried leaves are alterative, antiscrofulatic, astringent and tonic[4, 21, 46, 207].
A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of kidney ailments and sore throats[222, 257]. A strong leaf tea has been used in the treatment of scrofula[222]. It is applied externally to skin diseases and eye infections[222]. It is said that an oil helpful in the treatment of cancer has been obtained from the plant[4].
Some caution is advised since an overdose can cause nausea and vomiting[4].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a light well-drained soil in a sunny open position[200]. Tolerates a pH range from 5.5 to 8[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 6 - 8cm with a heel, late summer in a sandy soil in a frame[200].

Suppliers

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

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Cistaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[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.

[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.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[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.
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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.