Eryngium yuccifolium
Button Eryngo
a perennial evergreen member of the Eryngium genus in the family Umbelliferae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Umbelliferae
- Genus
- Eryngium
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- evergreen
- Height
- 1 m
- Spread
- 0.5 m
- Fertility
- Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Beetles
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Bees, Flies, Beetles
Uses
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.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The plant is diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic (in large doses), expectorant and febrifuge{46, 61]. A decoction of the roots has been found useful in cases of exhaustion from sexual depletion, with loss of erectile power, seminal emissions and orchitis[3]. A tincture of the roots is used in the treatment of female reproductive disorders[5]. The pounded roots are used as a diuretic[4]. An infusion of them is used to reduce fevers[4]. Chewing the root increases the flow of saliva[5]. The plant is used as an antidote to snakebites[6]. The roots are chewed and applied as a poultice to the bite[4][7].
- Product or use
- Diaphoretic
- Product or use
- Diuretic
- Product or use
- Emetic
- Product or use
- Expectorant
- Product or use
- Febrifuge
- Product or use
- Infertility
- Product or use
- Sialagogue
Environment
- Range
- Eastern N. America - Connecticut to Florida, west to Texas and Minnesota
- Habitat
- Dry to moist open woods, thickets and prairies[8].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 4+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- high wind
- Wind
- Yes
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn on the surface of a well-drained compost in a cold frame[2]. The seed can also be sown in spring. It usually germinates in 5 - 90 days at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring or autumn. Take care since the plant resents root disturbance[2]. Root cuttings in autumn or winter[2].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[1]. Prefers a light sandy soil but tolerates most soil types including lime and poor gravels[2]. Plants should be put in their final position whilst small since they resent root disturbance[2]. Where this species is found growing wild in N. America, it is an indicator of native prairie[7].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225
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