^ USE.FUL WILD PLANTS 



west — a low-growing perennial, carpeting the ground 

 with its dock-like leaves and starred in spring with 

 conical spikes of small, greenish florets, subtended 

 by showy involucres of white bracts. It is the 

 botanists' Anemopsis Calif ornica, H. & A. The pep- 

 pery, aromatic root is astringent, and is chewed 

 raw, after drying, for affections of the mucous 

 membrane, and also made into a tea for purifying 

 the blood. It is one of the most popular of remedies 

 among the Mexican population, who employ it also to 

 relieve coughs and indigestion or pretty much any- 

 thing. As an external remedy for cuts, bruises and 

 sores on man or beast, either the tea or a poultice 

 of the wilted leaves is employed. 



For external use in such cases, two other western 

 plants are valuable, particularly for the healing of 

 that bane of the horseman, the saddle gall. One is 

 an ill-smelling shrub of the Southwestern desert 

 region variously called Creosote-bush, Greasewood 

 (one of many Greasewoods, by the way) and, by its 

 Spanish names, Gobernadora and Hediondilla. 

 Botanically, it is Larrea Mexicana, Moric, or, ac- 

 cording to other nomenclaturists, Covillea tridentata, 

 (DC.) Vail. It is distinguished by curious little 

 evergreen leaves each consisting of two pointed, 

 sticky leaflets, yellow 5-petaled flowers, the petals 



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