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Mentzelia pumila

Common name:	Dwarf Mentzelia	Family:	Loasaceae
Author:	(Nutt.)Torr.& A.Gray.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America.
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dwarf Mentzelia [P], Golden Blazingstar [B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	pumila = dwarf
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Violales. Loasa family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) 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

Seed.

Seed - raw or cooked. They are parched and ground into a meal[207]. This use has not been verified[216].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Odontalgic.

The plant is used as a toothache medicine[216].
The root is laxative[257]. It is dried, ground into a powder and inserted as a suppository in the rectum to treat constipation[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, nor are we sure if it is an annual or a perennial. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained soil in a warm sunny sheltered position[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ[200]. Germination should take place within a couple of weeks.

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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant 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

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[216] Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939
A very good guide the the plant uses of the N. American Hopi Indians.

[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?Mentzelia+pumila
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Mentzelia+pumila

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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.