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Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
| Common name: |
White Balsam |
Family: |
Compositae |
| Author: |
(L.)Hilliard.&Burtt. |
Botanical references: |
43, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Gnaphalium polycephalum (Michx.), Gnaphalium obtusifolium (L.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Ontario to Georgia and Alabama. |
| Habitat: |
Pine woods and clearings[43] in dry open habitats[200]. |
| 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. |
| Gnaphalium connoideum[H]
P. obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Blunt-leaved Everlasting [H], Catsfoot [H], Common Everlasting [L], Fragrant Everlasting [H], Indian Posy [H], Life Everlasting [E], None-so-pretty [H], Old Field Balsam [H], Silver Leaf [H], Sweet Everlasting [H], Sweet-scented Life Everla [H], White Balsam [H], Yun Ts'Ao [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
obtusifolium = blunt leaved;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
China; Na; Us(Appalachia); Us(Ny)
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.5m. . It is in flower from September to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
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.
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
Anaphrodisiac; Antiphlogistic; Antispasmodic; Astringent; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Expectorant; Sedative; Vermifuge.
The whole plant is anaphrodisiac, antiphlogistic, astringent,
diaphoretic, expectorant, vermifuge[4, 61]. It is used internally in the
treatment of throat ulcers, chest complaints, intestinal and respiratory
catarrh etc and is also applied externally as a poultice to bruises, indolent
tumours etc[4, 254].
A tea made from the leaves and flowers is a mild nerve sedative, diuretic
and antispasmodic[222].
The fresh juice is considered to be aphrodisiac[222]. It is anaphrodisiac
according to another report[4].
The aromatic dried flowers are used as a filling for pillows, having a
sedative effect which is beneficial to consumptives[4].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[4]. This has proved to be of
benefit in the treatment of sciatica, lumbago and some forms of arthritis[4].
Other Uses
Repellent; Stuffing.
The plant is used as an insect repellent, it is placed in bedmats,
books etc[178] and in the linen cupboard[207].
The flower heads are used as a stuffing material for mattresses[207].
Cultivation details
Requires a dry soil in an open sunny position[200].
Plants are sometimes grown in the wild garden[200]. The leaves have a
pleasant aromatic smell and an aromatic, slightly bitter, astringent
agreeable taste[4].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to
handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in
early summer.
Scent
-
Leaves: Crushed
- The leaves have a pleasant aromatic smell.
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]
- [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.
- [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.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Gnaphalium obtusifolium (a possible synonym).
References for Gnaphalium polycephalum (a possible synonym).
References for Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium (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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[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.
[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.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
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?Pseudognaphalium+obtusifolium
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Pseudognaphalium+obtusifolium
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