As published in the Abiquiú News in 2018.
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April, May, June, July, August, September and October.
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October 12, 2018

The flowers blooming now have already appeared in the Bloom Blog but there are attractive seeds and berries to be found. The bright white branches of Winterfat are easily seen from a distance. The flowers are inconspicuous and bloom in spring and mid-summer, but from September to December the flowers turn into dense plumes of fluffy, woolly, white seed heads that cover the plants. Winterfat is a small shrub growing to 3 feet high, often in colonies, and is long-lived (up to 130 years old) with white branches and silvery narrow whorled leaves. It is called Winterfat because of its nutritional importance as a fattening and nutritious winter browse for wildlife and livestock, especially sheep. It was used by Native Americans for fevers, for burns, sore muscles, for sores and boils, applied to poison ivy rashes, as an eye medicine, a dermatological aid and ceremonially. Source.

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October 5, 2018

Unlike its smaller cousins this buckwheat is a perennial shrub growing to 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide with greyish, velvety leaves. Leaves are oblong to oval-shaped with crinkly, "crisped", edges. Tiny white to pink flowers grow in rounded clusters. Native Americans utilized boiled leaves and stalks mixed with cornmeal for bread or with salt for a dried cake. Leaves were also prepared to treat headaches. Source.

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September 28, 2018

Not all the yellow flowers growing in profusion along our roadsides are sunflowers and chamisa. Another erect, often tall, showy sunflower-like plant is the Golden Crownbeard. It grows to 3 feet tall with fine white hairs on stem, underside of leaves and bracts. The leaves are gray-green, triangular and toothed. Leaves and flowers are smelly. The flower heads are up to 2" across with yellow centers and yellow petals that have three teeth at the tip. The Hopi and Navajo make the plant into tea and use it as a fever wash and to treat spider bites. The Navajo also use a liquid of strained leaves for stomach trouble, chew petals for good luck in hunting and wear the flowers in a hat band as protection from lightning. Source.

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September 21, 2018

The California Brickellbush is a many-branched shrub growing 2 to 3 feet high and wide, with heart-shaped, veined, fuzzy, toothed leaves. It has many small insignificant flowers which are cylindrical with purple-tinged bracts, no petals and whitish disk flowers. It produces dandelion-like seeds and a delicious fragrance in the evenings. It was used traditionally as a lotion for sores, for cough and fever, as a rub for headaches and as a tea. Source.

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September 14, 2018

This bushy plant with purple flowers is so common that we hardly notice it. Alfalfa is an escapee from cultivation. It has clover-like leaves and grows to 3 feet tall and wide. It is very drought resistant and produces abundant flowers, blooming from late spring through the fall.  Flower color ranges from pale blue to dark purple, but it can be white or yellow. Alfalfa is one of the oldest cultivated plants, and it is used as livestock forage, as a highly nutritious food for humans, and as herbal medicine. It is considered to have the highest nutritive value of all fodder plants. Alfalfa has been used for numerous ailments in traditional folk medicine throughout the ages including menopausal symptoms, arthritis, indigestion, liver disorders, hemorrhoids, bleeding gums, asthma, anemia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, diabetes, eczema, constipation and burns. Source.

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September 7, 2018

Little Hogweed is a spreading plant with succulent, often reddish stems and succulent, spoon-shaped leaves; the flowers are small and yellow and open only on hot, sunny days. It is considered a beneficial weed because all parts of the plant are edible, raw or cooked. It is quite nutritious because it is unusually high in omega-3 fatty acids and contains significant amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium and antioxidants. It is sometimes used as fodder and is fed to poultry to reduce egg cholesterol. It was used traditionally as an ointment for burns. Source.

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August 31, 2018

Slimleaf Bean is a long twining and trailing plant with leaves divided into three narrow leaflets. Pink, pea-like flowers grow from the leaf axils. Flowers are less than ½ inch long and have five petals, one of which is tightly coiled. Narrow seed pods are up to 3" long. I was surprised to learn that this slender little plant with delicate flowers was used to strengthen a child. This is from the Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution published in 1915: “When an infant boy evinces timidity his father carries a small quantity of corn meal wrapped in a bit of corn husk to the warrior of his choice, and, presenting it, requests that the warrior apply the medicine to his child that he may have a brave heart and never be afraid of the enemy. Crushed leaves and blossoms with the powdered root of this plant are chewed by the officiating warrior and ejected into his hands, which he rubs over the nude body of the child; he also gives the child a small quantity of the crushed blossoms to eat. This is sure to give the boy a brave heart, and he manifests a desire to fight on the slightest provocation.” Source.

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August 24, 2018

Several species of Globemallow grow in this area blooming from spring until fall. They have five orange petals forming a saucer-like flower. The foliage is covered with star-shaped hairs giving it a grey-green appearance. The shape of the leaves differentiate the species. Blooming now is Fendler’s Globemallow which grows to 4 feet tall with graceful stems; it can become shrub-like. Leaves are divided into three lobes, two smaller side lobes and a larger central lobe, all with scalloped edges. Flowers are over 1 inch across and produce a disc-shaped fruit with 11 to 15 segments, each segment contains a seed. Globemallow has been used to treat sand cricket bites; an infusion of the plant was taken for mouth sores and for internal injury and hemorrhage and it was also made into a lotion to treat external injuries. Source.

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August 17, 2018

The Senecio genus is a large group which grows in a variety of habitats and life zones. Their common name, Ragworts, also called Butterweeds and Groundsels, have yellow, daisy-like flowers, usually in clusters, with only a few petals. Threadleaf Ragwort typically grows two feet wide and high, but can be taller, with multiple stems. The stems are bluish-green and it has narrow, deeply divided leaves. Both stems and leaves are covered in fine white hairs. It blooms in the spring and again after monsoon rains. It is known to contain alkaloids which can cause liver damage in livestock if consumed in large quantities but it has a variety of medicinal uses. It is a strong laxative and was used internally to treat stomach and kidney trouble; it was used externally as an infusion or salve to treat infected sores and cuts, sore muscles, acne, and skin diseases; the plant was used as a broom, and the herbage was added to bedding as a bug repellent. Source. 

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August 10, 2018

Grows from 4 to 30 inches tall with thick, erect, reddish stems and narrow lance-shaped leaves, sometimes with a dark blotch in the middle of the leaf which gives it one of its many common names, Lady’s Thumb. The tiny pale pink to greenish-white flowers grow in a dense nodding spike up to 3 inches long. The whole plant is antiseptic and astringent. An infusion has been used in the treatment of stomach complaints and fevers. The plant produces a soft white mass, a froth like that of soap. It is applied externally to burns and is used for bathing and washing clothes. Source.

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August 3, 2018

Although this plant can be weedy or invasive, it has attractive, funnel-shaped flowers which are white to pink and 1 inch across. The flowers close at night and during rainy weather. It is a vine that climbs and creeps across the ground with arrow-shaped leaves. It intertwines and topples native species competing for sunlight, moisture and nutrients and is considered noxious in 22 US States. Despite this, it has multiple health benefits and medicinal uses. Native Americans would use the plant as an antidote to spider bites, and the leaves of the plant were believed to enhance the secretion of bile. A tea made from the flowers is laxative and is also used in the treatment of fevers and wounds. An extract of bindweed is believed to arrest the growth of tumors, and its anticancer properties are presently being researched. Read more.

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July 27, 2018

I don’t know why this is commonly called the Lesser Indian Paintbrush because it is taller than all the other species of Paintbrush. It grows over 3 feet tall with un-branched stems. It differs from other Paintbrushes by being an annual and liking wet places. What appears to be flowers, the paintbrush, are actually leaf-like, red-tipped bracts. The flowers are narrow, green-yellow tubes hidden by the bracts. Leaves are well spaced, growing at alternate intervals along the green stems, and like the stem and bracts, have a covering of short hairs. The Apache used the roots to make a dye to color various kinds of skins, especially deer skin. The pink flowers in the background are Arizona Centaury.

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July 20, 2018

If you take a closer look amongst the leaves of the bright green bushes which stand out against the sandy soil, you will see the clusters of small pea-like flowers of the Lemon Scurfpea. It seems to like the arid conditions we have experienced this year because it has been blooming since early June and is still going. It grows to 20" in patches. Leaves are divided into three long, narrow, lance-shaped leaflets. The tiny flowers are white with a splash of purple. Navajos and Zunis treated stomach problems with tea made from the plant or by eating the fresh flowers. Arapaho treated sore throats by chewing fresh leaves and used the leaves in a snuff. A cold tea was drunk for menstrual cramps and a lotion made as protection against witches. The root was used to treat venereal disease and to make string and nets. Source.

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July 13, 2018

Wild Verbena can be erect or creeping with many branches to 18" long. Dark green leaves are deeply divided and hairy. Flowers grow in showy, rounded clusters at the end of the stems and bloom from spring to fall. The Acoma and Laguna Indians crushed the leaves with rocks to rub on snakebites and also made an infusion from the leaves to gargle for sore throats. Source.

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July 6, 2018

Grows from 1 to 3 feet tall in a clump with narrow, deeply divided leaves. The flower-head is a purplish-green cylindrical cone up to 2½"' high skirted by drooping, usually yellow, sometimes reddish, petals. It is native but is grown as an ornamental so can escape back into the wild. A pleasant tasting tea is made from the leaves and flower head. The plant has medicinal properties that are pain-relieving and fever-reducing. A tea has been used to relieve the pain of headaches and to treat stomach aches and fevers. The Cheyenne made a tea from boiling plant parts as a wash to relieve pain and to treat poison ivy rash, and also as a wash to draw the poison out of rattlesnake bites. The Sicangu people in South Dakota used a tea of plant tops for headaches and stomachaches. The Acoma and Laguna Indians used crushed leaves rubbed on mothers' breast to wean a child. Source.

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June 29, 2018

Prickly Pear grows to 20” hugging the ground in low clumps. Flowers can be lemon yellow, orange or pink and often have reddish centers. Pads are oval in shape, up to 10" long, with widely-spaced brown-tipped spines. There are numerous minutely barbed hairs at the base of the spines that are easily dislodged when the plant is touched and can become stuck to the skin where they are difficult to see and remove. The fruits are red to purple, without spines. The fruit is edible and is eaten fresh or dried, made into jams, jellies, juice and wine; pads are also edible and are prepared by roasting, boiling, or pulping and making into cakes; the seeds are ground into flour. The juice of the boiled stem segments is very sticky. It is added to plaster, whitewash etc. to make it adhere better to walls. Source.

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June 22, 2018

Grows to 2 feet high with twisted, angled, bluish-green stems and sparse leaves. The pinkish-purplish flowers are ¾" across with toothed petals and purple stamens. The Hopi used it to increase mother's milk supply while the Navajo considered it a narcotic and used it to hasten delivery of the placenta, in paint ingredients for arrows and chewed the root like gum. Source.

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June 15, 2018

Indian Hemp grows to 3 feet tall in erect clumps with a smooth red stem which contains a milky latex that can cause blisters. Tiny white flowers are urn-shaped and produce 8" long seed pods. Apocynum in the scientific name means "poisonous to dogs". All parts of the plant are poisonous. The cannabinum refers to its similarity to cannabis as a fiber plant, hemp, rather than as a source of a psychoactive drug. A very good quality fiber obtained from the bark is used for making clothes, twine, bags, linen, and paper. It is an unpleasantly bitter stimulant irritant herb that acts on the heart, respiratory and urinary systems, and also on the uterus. North American Indian tribes used it to treat a wide variety of complaints including rheumatism, coughs, pox, whooping cough, asthma, internal parasites, diarrhea, and to increase milk flow in lactating mothers. The plant is still used in modern herbalism, but it should be used with great caution. Source.

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June 8, 2018

Silverweed is low growing with creeping, red runners. Leaves have many pairs of sharply toothed leaflets that are silvery underneath. Flowers are about 3/4 inch across with five, sometimes more, yellow petals. They grow on a single stalk from a node in the runner which has taken root. It can look as if the flowers sprouted out of the ground all by themselves if you don’t notice the runner and the leaves several inches away. Silverweed is a perennial plant that is edible and has a multitude of health benefits. It is an analgesic, anti-spasmodic, astringent, diuretic and tonic. When a person has excessively sweaty feet, placing a leaf or two in each shoe is a natural way to help absorb moisture (due to the starch content). It was formerly believed to be useful for epilepsy, and that it could ward off witches and evil spirits. Source.

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June 1, 2018

When the rainfall is good, this ground-hugging annual can blanket the earth with purple, but in dry seasons like this year, it may have only a single blossom, almost as large as the rest of the plant. It grows from 2 to 8 inches high with very hairy leaves and stems. Flowers can be pinkish to violet-purple in color. They are 1/2" across and have a white-ringed yellow throat. The Navajo use the plant as a lotion for spider or tarantula bites.

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May 25, 2018

Grows from 4 to 20 inches tall with a stout, sticky, hairy stem and leaves with scalloped edges. Flowers are lavender-colored with purple-tipped stamens protruding beyond the petals. The flowers grow in tight coils which open out like a scorpion's tail, which gives it the common name. Native peoples mixed the powdered root or leaves with water and rubbed it on sprains, swellings and rashes. Source. 

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May 18, 2018

Grows in mounds of densely spiny barrels up to 2 feet across and about 1 foot tall. The showy flower is a funnel shaped bloom with bright scarlet red to orange-red petals. Fruits are green to yellow green, pink or red, juicy and spiny. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. Water was extracted from the cactus in emergencies, the fruit pulp was made into cakes and candy, the fruit was eaten fresh, as jam, the pulp was baked and eaten like squash and the dried pulp was used for candles.  Source.

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May 11, 2018

Grows erect from 4” to 16" tall with basal leaves and showy, dense clusters of bright rose-purple flowers. The leaves are divided into several leaflets covered with silky, silvery-white hairs. It is very poisonous to livestock. Violent reaction to routine management practices such as putting a halter on and cattle refusing to go through a chute, are typical of locoed animals. Some horses become very depressed and sleepy. The unpredictable behavior makes the animals dangerous to work around or ride. Source.

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May 4, 2018

Skunkbush is a shrub growing 3 to 10 feet tall sometimes in thickets. The wood gives off a strong odor when bruised. Tiny yellow flowers bloom in dense clusters before the leaves. Leaves are shiny and divided into three leaflets. Then comes tight clusters of hairy, red berries which have a pleasant lemonade taste. In the fall the leaves turn bright red or orange. Native Americans used the twigs and branches to make baskets, particularly the Zuni and Navajo. Leaves were dried and smoked and then used as a tobacco substitute. Chewing bark was thought to be a cold remedy and oral aid for toothache and gastrointestinal ills. Application of a fruit paste was deemed to prevent hair loss.  Contraceptive aid was achieved by boiling the leaves to make a tea. Different parts are used for dying wool and baskets. Source.

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April 27, 2018

Cliff Fendlerbush is a many-branched shrub growing in a columnar shape from 3 to 10 feet tall with tough, dark stems. The leaves are narrow and thick. In spring, the branch tips are covered with a profusion of pink buds which mature into brilliant white fragrant flowers. Flowers have 4 petals which narrow to the center. It was used by early Native Americans to kill lice and taken after accidentally swallowing ants. It was also used to make arrows, forks, planting sticks, knitting needles and to make ceremonial items and in ceremonial medicine. Source.

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April 20, 2018

I showed you this cute little daisy in 2016 in a photo with trash. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the good folks who have cleaned up our roadsides, I really appreciate it, as do the daisies. This daisy grows only 1-4" high, sometimes in masses of plants. Flower heads are about ½ inch across and the leaves are hairy.

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April 13, 2018

The Fringed Puccoon grows from 4" to 20" high with 2-3” long, narrow, pointed leaves. It typically grows low to the ground, this plant is only 4” high. The trumpet-shaped flower has five ruffled (fringed) petals and can be 2-3" long. It produces rock-hard, white seeds. The plant roots were historically used as dyes ranging from purple to red to yellow. Culinary uses included making a tea and boiling and eating the roots. The Puccoon has many medicinal properties, but contains potentially toxic alkaloids. It has been used medicinally as an aid for paralysis, an oral contraceptive, a psychological aid, an eye medicine, a sedative and a stimulant; also used to treat hemorrhages, colds, coughs, sore throats, stomachaches, and skin infections. This plant was used as a medicine by various Native American tribes and interest in the plant has revived recently as a possible source of modern drugs. Source.

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April 6, 2018

Siberian Elm is a fast-growing, weak-wooded, deciduous tree that typically grows to 50 feet tall with smooth, slender branches. In the wild, it is sometimes seen in a shrubby form. It was introduced to the United States from northern Asia in the mid-1800s because of its toughness, rapid growth, ability to thrive under arduous growing conditions and resistance to Dutch elm disease. Originally planted as windbreaks, and as shade trees, Siberian elm has since escaped cultivation and is now considered an invasive species in many areas of the country. It is commonly, and incorrectly, called Chinese Elm; the true Chinese Elm is Ulmus parvifolia and is a distinctly different species. Leaves are oval to lance shaped, leathery and toothed. Flowers are small and greenish-brown and appear before the leaves in the spring. It produces numerous seeds with yellowish, papery wings which root easily in moist areas. The photo shows both flowers and seeds. Leaves are edible and can be used as a pot herb. The inner bark can be dried and made into noodles or used as a flour. The fruits can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves and bark have several medicinal uses including as a diuretic, to reduce fever, to dissolve kidney stones, for liver disorders, as a laxative and as a poultice for swellings . Source.

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March 30, 2018

Filaree grows to 3" high with creeping, reddish, hairy stems. The flower is less than ½ inch across. Finely divided leaves grow in a rosette and are grayish-green. The fruit resembles a stork's bill (on left in photo) and is about 1 inch long. When ripe the seed pod bursts open in a spiral, sending the seeds (which have little feathery parachutes attached) into the air.

The entire plant is edible with a flavor similar to sharp parsley if picked young. Traditionally a leaf tea has been used to induce sweating and is diuretic. The leaves were also soaked in bath water to treat rheumatism. It has been used for uterine and other bleeding, roots and leaves were eaten by nursing mothers to increase milk flow, and externally used as a wash on animal bites and skin infections. A poultice of the chewed root has been applied to sores and rashes. A green dye is obtained from the whole plant. Source.

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