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Grindelia squarrosa

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Grindelia squarrosa

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Grindelia
Species:
G. squarrosa
Binomial name
Grindelia squarrosa
Synonyms[1]
Synonymy
  • Donia squarrosa Pursh 1813
  • Aurelia amplexicaulis Cass.
  • Aurelia squarrosa Cass. ex Steud.
  • Grindelia aphanactis Rydb.
  • Grindelia arguta A.Gray
  • Grindelia nuda Alph.Wood
  • Grindelia pinnatifida Wooton & Standl.
  • Grindelia serrulata Rydb.

Grindelia squarrosa, also known as a curly-top gumweed or curlycup gumweed, is a small North American biennial or short-lived perennial plant.[2]

Description

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G. squarrosa is a decumbent to erect, much-branched perennial herb or subshrub growing up to 100 centimetres (39+1⁄2 inches) tall. The leaves are 1.5–7.5 cm (1⁄2–3 in) long,[3] gray-green, crenate with each tooth having a yellow bump near its tip, and resinous.[4][5]

The plant produces numerous flower heads in open, branching arrays. The flower bract (involucre) is resinous and consists of multiple overlapping rows of phyllaries with tips that are strongly curled outward, sometimes curling back to form a circle.[4] Each head usually contains 12–40 yellow ray flowers, though sometimes the rays are absent. These surround many small disc flowers. The plant blooms from July through late September.[4][6][5] The brown seed is usually four-angled, with loose scales.[3]

A form with rayless flowers is sometimes considered a distinct species.[citation needed]

Varieties

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  • Grindelia squarrosa var. quasiperennis[7]
  • Grindelia squarrosa var. serrulata[8]
  • Grindelia squarrosa var. squarrosa[9]

Distribution and habitat

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The species is native to western and central North America, from British Columbia east to Québec and New England, and south as far as California, New Mexico, Arizona, Chihuahua, and Texas. The species may possibly be naturalized in much of the eastern part of that distribution.[10][11][4][12]

It is often found in dry, open areas[3] and disturbed roadsides and streamsides, occurring between 700 metres (2,300 feet) and 2,300 metres (7,500 feet) in elevation.[4]

Ecology

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The species is listed by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network as of "Special Value to Native Bees."[12]

Toxicity

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The plant concentrates selenium from the soil,[3] and can be toxic when ingested by cattle, humans, and other mammals.[4]

Uses

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The flowers and leaves are used by Great Plains Tribes as a medicinal herb to treat illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis or skin rashes.[12][13][14] The powdered flowers were also once smoked in cigarettes to ease asthmatic symptoms.[15]

It is used as a traditional medicinal plant by Shoshone peoples in various regions.[13] The Gosiute language name for the plant is mu’-ha-kûm.[16] The Lakota language name for the plant is pteíčhiyuȟa.

Hispanos of New Mexico boiled the buds to make a drink to treat kidney disorders.[3] Extracts have been made to treat skin irritations, asthma, and rheumatism.[3] The resin has been used to treat poison ivy rashes topically.[17]

The plant is being explored as a potential source of biofuel due to its high content of mono- and di-terpenes which can be converted to a fuel analogous to kerosene or jet fuel.[18] The plant's adaptation to arid climates makes it an attractive option as its cultivation in desert areas would not compete with traditional food crops.

References

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  1. ^ "Grindelia squarrosa". The Global Compositae Checklist (GCC) – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  2. ^ "Grindelia squarrosa". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. pp. 376–377. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Jepson Manual, University of California (TJM2)
  5. ^ a b Strother, John L.; Wetter, Mark A. (2006). "Grindelia squarrosa". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 20. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  6. ^ Kansas Wildflowers & Grasses
  7. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Grindelia squarrosa var. quasiperennis​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.
  8. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Grindelia squarrosa var. serrulata​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.
  9. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Grindelia squarrosa var. squarrosa​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.
  10. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Grindelia squarrosa​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.
  11. ^ "Grindelia squarrosa". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  12. ^ a b c "Grindelia squarrosa". Native Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin.
  13. ^ a b University of Michigan at Dearborn, Native American Ethnobotany Database: Grindelia squarrosa
  14. ^ Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Archived 2006-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 382. ISBN 0-394-50432-1.
  16. ^ Chamberlin, Ralph Vary (1911). "The Ethno-botany of the Gosiute Indians of Utah" (PDF). Memoirs of the American Anthropological Association Vol II, Part 5. Retrieved 2007-11-12.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-4930-3633-2. OCLC 1073035766.
  18. ^ Neupane, Bishnu P.; Shintani, David; Lin, Hongfei; Coronella, Charles J.; Miller, Glenn C. (2016-11-22). "Grindelia squarrosa: A Potential Arid Lands Biofuel Plant". ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 5 (1): 995–1001. doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.6b02315. ISSN 2168-0485.
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