Comandra pallida
Pale Bastard Toadflax
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Santalaceae
- Genus
- Comandra
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 0.4 m
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
There is a report that the plant can be toxic to mammals.
Edible uses
Fruit[1][2][3]. A sweet flavour[7]. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter[4]. The small round seeds are eaten like nuts by children[6].
- Plant part
- Fruit
- Plant part
- Seed
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
The plant is narcotic[6]. A decoction has been used in the treatment of headaches and externally as a foot bath to treat corns[6]. The plant has been used to treat sore eyes and sores on the body and also as a mouth wash for canker sores[6].
- Product or use
- Foot care
- Product or use
- Narcotic
- Product or use
- Ophthalmic
- Product or use
- Salve
Material uses
A blue dye is obtained from the area next to the root bark[6].
- Product or use
- Dye
Environment
- Range
- Western N. America - Manitoba to British Columbia and south to Texas.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- very acid, acid
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
Seed - stratify for 3 months at 5°c and then sow in the greenhouse in a pot with a suitable host. Plant out when it is well established close to a mature host plant[4].
Cultivation
Requires a well-drained moisture retentive lime-free soil[4]. A parasitic plant obtaining at least some of its nutrients from the roots of other plants[4][5]. It is said to parasitize over 200 different species of plants in the wild[7].
References
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm
Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00