Practical
Plants

Lithospermum ruderale

Western Gromwell

a perennial member of the Lithospermum genus in the family Boraginaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.75 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seeds have been used for food[4].

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.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An infusion or decoction of the root has been used as a diuretic in the treatment of kidney complaints and also to treat internal haemorrhaging, diarrhoea etc[6][4]. A poultice of the dried powdered leaves and stems has been used to relieve the pain of rheumatic joints[4]. Some N. American Indian women drank a cold water infusion of the roots daily for six months to ensure permanent sterility[2]. Alcoholic extracts of the plant have been shown to eliminate the oestrus cycle and decrease the weight of the thymus and pituitary glands[2].

Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Contraceptive
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Kidney

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant has been used as a dye and body paint[3]. No more details are given in the report, but it is likely that the root is used and the colour is some shade of red[K]. The hard, white, shiny seeds have been used as beads[4].

Product or use
Beads
Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Habitat
Open, fairly dry places from the foothills to moderate elevations[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. 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. Cuttings. Division.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained soil[1].

References

  1. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  2. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩1↩2

  3. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩

  4. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  5. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

  6. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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