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Thelesperma megapotanicum

Common name:	Navajo Tea	Family:	Compositae
Author:	(Spreng.)Kuntze.	Botanical references:	1, 274
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America.
Habitat:	Sandy or rocky prairies and roadsides in Texas[274]. Dry sandy soils in south-western S. Dakota.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bidens megapotamica[B,P] T. gracile[B,P] T. megapotamicum[B,C,CAL,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Hopi Tea Greenthread [P], Hopi-tea [B],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.5m. It is hardy to zone 9. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 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

Flowers; Tea.

Flower buds[183]. No more details are given.
A tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves and flowering stems[257, 183]. When well made it is delicious, with just a hint of mint in its aftertaste[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Odontalgic; Stimulant; TB.

The plant has been used in the treatment of children with tuberculosis[257].
An infusion of the leaves and stems has been used as a 'nervous stimulant'[257].
An infusion of the leaves and stems has been used as a treatment for the teeth[257].

Other Uses

Dye.

A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[61]. Reddish-brown according to another report[257].
A brown dye is obtained from the leaves and stems[61].
An orange-yellow dye can be obtained from the boiled roots[257].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun[200].
This species is not very hardy outdoors in Britain, usually requiring cold greenhouse treatment[1].
According to one report this species might be no more than a synonym for T. gracile[183].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ, only just covering the seed. In dry weather the seed should be watered in.
Division might be possible.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Thelesperma megapotamicum (a possible synonym).

[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.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants 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]).

[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.

[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.

[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

Thelesperma megapotanicum

Steve Heil (heil@zianet.com) Thu May 1 02:38:31 2003

I grow it in my garden in zone 5. I find it a very useful plant, as many of my Navajo friends and I love to drink the herbal tea brewed from it. Please check out my website as well as another website published by a Navajo reasearcher.

Link: High Desert Farmers Info on plant, good links, also offering garden-grown tea for sale

Main Search Page

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?Thelesperma+megapotanicum
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Thelesperma+megapotanicum

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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.