PLANTS FURNISHING MEDICINAL LEAVES AND HERBS. 37 
GUM PLANT. 
(1) Grindelia robusta Nutt.; (2) Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal. 
Pharmacopeial name.—Grindelia. 
Other common names.—(2) Broad-leaved gum plant, scaly grindelia. 
Habitat and range.—The gum plant (Grindelia robusta) occurs in the States west 
of the Rocky Mountains, while the broad-leaved gum plant (G. squarrosa) is more 
widely distributed, being of common occurrence on the plains and prairies from the 
Saskatchewan to Minnesota, south to Texas and Mexico, and westward to California. 
Description.—The name 
‘‘oum plant” is appled 
especially toGrindelia 
robusta on account of the 
fact that the entire plant 
is covered with a resinous 
substance, givingita 
gummy, varnishedappear- 
ance. It is an erect per- 
ennial herb belonging to. 
the aster family (Aster- 
aceee) and has a round 
smooth stem, about 14 feet 
inheight. The leaves are 
pale green, leathery in 
texture and rather rigid, 
coated with resin and 
showing numcrous trans- 
lucent dots, and are about 
aninchinlength. Inout- 
line they are oblong spat- 
ulate—that is, having a 
broad, rounded top gradu- 
ally narrowing toward the 
base—clasping the stem 
and with margins some- 
what saw toothed The 
plant branches freely near 
the top, each branch some- 
what reddish and termi- 
nating in a large yellow 
flower. The yellow flowers 
are about three-fourths of 
an inch in diameter, 
broader than long, and 
Fia. 29.—Sealy grindelia (Grindelia squarrosa), leaves and flowers. 
are borne singly at the ends of the branches. Immediately beneath the flower is a 
set of numerous, thick, overlapping scales (the involucre), the tips of which are 
rolled forward, the whole heavily coated with resin. 
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