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Osmorhiza occidentalis
| Common name: |
Western Sweet-Cicely |
Family: |
Umbelliferae |
| Author: |
(Nutt.)Torr. |
Botanical references: |
60, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Western N. America. |
| Habitat: |
Shady or partly shady areas, often on slopes and in valleys[60, 85]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Glycosma occidentalis[B,P]
O. ambigua[B,P]
O. occidentale[E]
Osmorrhiza occidentalis[Smap,Smk,Smo,Sn5]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Sierran Sweet-cicely [B], Sweet Cicely, Northern [S], Sweet Root [S], Sweetroot [E], Western Sweetroot [P], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
occidentalis = of the west
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Us
Us(Flathead)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 6. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.Edible Uses
Condiment
Root Seed.
The root has a sweet liquorice or anise flavour and can be dried,
ground into a powder and used as a flavouring for biscuits etc[85, 183, 257].
The taste is probably too strong for the whole root to be used as a
vegetable[85].
The dried seeds are used as a flavouring[85, 183, 257]. The unripe seed,
when still fleshy, can be nibbled raw[85, 183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antiseptic
Carminative Febrifuge Ophthalmic Oxytoxic Pectoral Poultice Skin Stomachic.
Western sweet-cicely was widely employed medicinally by several native
North American Indian tribes who used it particularly to treat digestive
disorders and as an antiseptic wash for a range of problems[257]. It is
little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
An infusion of the plant is used in the treatment of coughs and colds[61,
257].
The roots are antiseptic, carminative, febrifuge, oxytocic, pectoral and
stomachic[257]. An infusion has been used to induce labour in a pregnant
woman and to treat fevers, indigestion, flatulence, stomach aches etc[257].
An infusion of the roots has been applied externally as a treatment for
swollen breasts, sores, sore eyes etc[257]. A decoction of the root has been
used as a wash on venereal sores and skin rashes[257]. A poultice of the
pulped roots has been used in the treatment of cuts, sores, swellings and
bruises[257].
The root has been applied to teeth to relive the pain of toothache[257].
A hot decoction of the root has been used to kill head lice[257].
Other Uses
Deodorant
Incense Insecticide.
The roots have been used by women as a feminine deodorant[257]. They
have also been placed in the clothes cupboard to impart a nice smell to
clothes and have been used to rinse babies nappies[257].
A decoction of the root has been used as a dip to kill lice in
chickens[257].
Cultivation details
Succeeds in any deep moisture-retentive soil in sun or dappled
shade[200].
Plants are hardy to about -20° c[200].
Well suited to naturalistic plantings in a woodland or wild garden[200]. A
sweetly aromatic plant[200].
Propagation
Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the
seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise sow
it in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings
out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first
winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early
summer, after the last expected frosts.
Scent
-
Leaves: Crushed
- A sweetly aromatic plant.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [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] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Osmorhiza occidentale (a possible synonym).
References for Osmorrhiza occidentalis (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[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.
[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
[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.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[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
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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?Osmorhiza+occidentalis
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Osmorhiza+occidentalis
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