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Veronicastrum virginicum
| Common name: |
Beaumont's Root |
Family: |
Scrophulariaceae |
| Author: |
(L.)Farwell. |
Botanical references: |
43, 200, 274 |
| Synonyms: |
Veronica virginica (L.), Leptandra virginica ((L.) Nutt.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Ontario to Manitoba, south to Massachusetts, Alabama and Texas. |
| Habitat: |
Meadows, rich woods, thickets and prairies[43]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
0 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Eustachya alba[H]
Eustachya purpurea[H]
Paederota virginica[H]
Veronica purpurea[H]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Black Root [H], Blackroot [E], Culver [E], Culver'S Physic [E], Culver'S Root [E], Culver's Physic [H,L], Culver's Root [H,P], Culver's-Root [L], Culver's-root [B], Culveris Root [H], Culvers Root [E], Culverwortel [E], Culverwurzel [E], Leptandra-Wurzel [H], Physic Root [H,E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Scrophulariales. Figwort family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
France; Germany; Netherlands; Us; Us(Amerindian); Us(Appalachia)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1.2m by 0.45m . It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 0/5 for edibility and
3/5 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 moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Sunny Edge.Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Cathartic; Cholagogue; Emetic; Hepatic; Laxative; Tonic.
Beaumont's root was employed medicinally by several native North
American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[257]. It
is still occasionally used in modern herbalism, mainly for its effect upon
the liver and bile production. Some caution is advised, the plant is
potentially toxic[222].
The root is anodyne, cathartic, emetic, hepatic, laxative and tonic[4, 46,
61, 165, 218, 222]. The fresh root is a violent cathartic and possibly
emetic, the dried root is milder in its action, but less certain[4]. The root
also gently excites the liver and increases the flow of bile[4, 238]. An
infusion has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea, coughs, chills and
fevers, and also to ease the pain of backaches[257].
A tea made from the roots is strongly laxative[213, 222]. The roots are
harvested in the autumn and should be stored for at least a year before
use[213]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details
Easily grown in a moderately fertile moisture retentive well drained
soil[200]. Prefers cool summers[200]. Prefers a sunny position[188].
Hardy to at least -20°c[187].
Some named forms have been selected for their ornamental value[200].
Propagation
Seed - sow autumn in a cold frame[200]. When they are large enough to
handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in
the summer.
If you have sufficient quantity the seed can be sown outdoors in situ in the
autumn or the spring.
Division in autumn or spring[200]. Larger divisions can be planted out
direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot
up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold
frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the
following spring.
Cultivars
- ''
- There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].
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.
- [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 Leptandra virginica (a possible synonym).
References for Veronica virginica (a possible synonym).
References for the family Scrophulariaceae.
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.
[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.
[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.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
[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.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[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.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[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?Veronicastrum+virginicum
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Veronicastrum+virginicum
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