Practical
Plants

Mentzelia multiflora

Manyflowered Mentzelia

a perennial member of the Mentzelia genus in the family Loasaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Loasaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - raw or cooked[5]. They are parched and ground into a meal[2]. This use has not been verified[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.

The plant is used as a toothache medicine[4]. The plant is diuretic[5]. The leaves and the roots have been used as a treatment for tuberculosis. It was the strongest TB medicine for the strongest patients[5].

Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Odontalgic
Product or use
TB

Environment

Range
Western N. America.
Habitat
Dry sandy and gravelly places below 2000 metres in creosote bush scrub and deserts in California[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
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 situ[3]. Germination should take place within a couple of weeks.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[7]. Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained soil in a warm sunny sheltered position[8]. This species is said to be a perennial in[9], whilst[7] lists it as an annual.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

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

    ↩

  4. Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

    ↩

  7. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  9. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press (1959-00-00)

    ↩

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