vandaliatraveler: Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), is one of Appalachia’s most storied
vandaliatraveler: Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), is one of Appalachia’s most storied medicinal plants, having been used by Native Americans as a bitter tonic to treat digestive and liver problems and more recently by mountain folk as an insect repellent, throat gargle, and topical treatment for cuts and abrasions. Nonetheless, this fragile and beautiful perennial has been overharvested throughout much of its range, and mountaintop removal in the plant’s core habitat in Central Appalachia has decimated its populations. Goldenseal should never be harvested from the wild. Instead, it can be propagated from seed or rhizome cuttings available from reputable plant nurseries. Nowadays, finding this member of the buttercup family in the wild is a real treat. For those interested in learning more, goldenseal has one of the most fascinating lifecycles of any of our native plants, as described here. [image description: four photos of goldenseal plants growing flowers and leaves. end description.] -- source link
#botany#goldenseal#hydrastis#hydrastis canadensis