Veronicastrum virginicum
| Culver's root | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Veronicastrum |
| Species: | V. virginicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Veronicastrum virginicum (L.) Farw. | |
Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root, Culver's-root, Culverpsyic, Culver's physic,Bowman's root, blackroot; syn. Leptandra virginica (L.) Nutt., Veronica virginica L.[1][2]) is a wildflower native to the United States.
Veronicastrum virginicum is an erect perennial herb that grows 80–200 cm in height. The leaves are serrated and arranged in whorls of 3-7 around the stem. The inflorescence is erect with slender and spike-like racemes. The stamens are crowded and protrude in a brush-like fashion perpendicular to the raceme . The corollas are white and are roughly 2 mm. in length. These plants flower from mid-summer to early fall.[3]
Culver's Root is frequently found in wet to wet-mesic prairies and sometimes moist upland sites.[3]
Uses
Culver's Root is cultivated as a garden flower in the Eastern United States.[2]
Culver's Root has been used medicinally for liver disorders and constipation. It is a long-time American doctors' remedy for liver congestion with accompanying constipation. It is sometimes considered when compounding a formula for the liver, gallbladder, to treat constipation, colitis, gallstones and hepatitis.[4]
Notes
- ↑ "Veronicastrum virginicum". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clausen, Ruth Rogers and Nicholas H. Ekstrom, Perennials for American Gardens,New York: Random House, 1989
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gleason, Henry and Arthur Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. D. Van Nostrand Company, New York, New York. 910 pp.
- ↑ Natural Cures - North America
References
- Blanchan, Neltje (2002). Wild Flowers: An Aid to Knowledge of our Wild Flowers and their Insect Visitors. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
- Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
External links
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