Plantago ovata

     

Plantago ovata (Desert Plantain ) ( )

Plantaginaceae

Plantago ovata var. insularis

  •  This winter-spring ephemeral often carpets the desert following times of sufficient rainfall. It generally occurs on level terrain on the desert floor on the mainland and Tiburon Island. The size of the plant and number of flowers and seeds varies with the amount of soil moisture. Under favorable conditions each plant develops a half-dozen or more slender spikes 10 to 15 cm tall, each of which bears numerous yellowish to reddish brown seeds 2 to 2.5 mm long. Food: the seeds, often stored in pottery vessels, were an important food. In the 1980s a common methos of harvesting involved the following procedure. Whole plants with matures seeds were pulled up and gathered in a pile. While sitting on the ground, the women rolled the fruiting spikes in their hands to free the seeds and let the seeds and chaff fall onto their outspread skirts. They then picked up handfuls of the seed sand chaff and wind-winnowed it. The whole seeds were mixed with water and allowed to sit for about one-half hour, and then eaten; they were not cooked. The soaked seeds became an edible, gelatin-like mass. Sugar was commonly added, and with water added the mixture was often consumed as a refreshing drink. It was much relished food. Medicine: prepared in the above-mentioned manner, it was a much-used remedy for stomachache. It was considered excellent for children with stomach ailments. "People of the Desert and Sea, Ethnobotany of the Seri Indians". 

Comentarios

Publicar un comentario

Entradas más populares de este blog

Lupinus arizonicus

Imagen
  Lupinus arizonicus (Arizona lupine) ( ) Fabaceae Arizona lupine is one of the most common and conspicuous desert lupines when it blooms in sandy washes and open creosote bush scrub below 3,000 feet in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. Its is particularly abundant in spring along roadsides. Although an annual, Arizona lupine is a robust plant that is typically 1-2 feet in height. Its stems and the underside of its green leaflets have long, spreading hairs. The purple flowers have a yellowish spot on each of the banners, which are the two petals that spread horizontally. "California Native Plants, Philip W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."
Leer más

Asteraceae

Imagen
Asteraceae The most diverse and ecologically significant family of woody and semi-woody shrubs in creosote bush scrub is the sunflower family. Globally Asteraceae is second only to the Orchidaceae in number of species. Memers of the Asteraceae family are challenging to identify until one becomes familiar with flower structures. The essential feature defining the Asteraceae is the presence of composite flower heads that typically include numerous tiny flowers joined in what, at first, resembles a single large flower-as seen in a familiar sunflower. The typical composite flower head is composed of two types of flowers, although either one of these types may be absent in some genera. The outer whorl of flowers in a typical composite head has three petals fused to form what appears to be a single large petal, while the other two petals are absent. These fused petals of the ray flowers, or ligules, are the attractive structures for pollinators. Ray flowers are almost always female. The inne...
Leer más

Geraea canescens

  Geraea canescens (desert suflower) ( ) Asteraceae Desert sunflower is a close relative of Encelia that can provide massive displays of yellow across the central and eastern Mojave Desert. Typically this species covers sandy flats under creosote bush scrub at elevations below about 4,000 feet. Its leaves and stems are covered with soft hairs and it displays broad radiate flower heads about ¾ inches in diameter. "California Desert Plants, Philip W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann." This fuzzy-leaved, hairy-headed-sunflower reaches heights of two feet in gravelly washes and sandy flats within the lower desert areas. Its large, yellow radiate heads are both showy and aromatic, attracting both bees and hummingbird-moths. Bees that gather its nectar daily also use even-primrose pollen. Desert sunflowers tolerate some disturbance and active sand movement in dune fields below 3, 000 feet in elevation. Flowering is most obvious in early April but may extend from Janua...
Leer más