Ligusticum porteri
Ligusticum porteri | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Apiaceae |
Genus: | Ligusticum |
Species: | L. porteri
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Binomial name | |
Ligusticum porteri Coult. & Rose
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Ligusticum porteri, also known as oshá (pronounced o-SHAW), wild parsnip, Porter’s Lovage or wild celery, is a perennial herb found in parts of the Rocky Mountains and northern New Mexico, especially in the southwestern United States.
Distribution
Oshá is strictly a mountain plant, and it is most commonly found in deep, moist soils rich in organic material. The plant requires partial shade. Oshá is widely distributed in the Rocky Mountains and the high mountains of northwestern New Mexico. It is most common in the upper limits of the
Oshá is dependent on mycorrhizal fungi, and attempts to artificially cultivate the plant outside of its habitat have not been successful. Cultivation in areas where oshá naturally grows have been more successful.[1]
Identification
Oshá has the typical appearance of members of the
Oshá roots have a collar of dead leaf material surrounding the root crowns which is hairlike in appearance. The roots dry very quickly and are very astringent when fresh, and can cause blistering of the mouth and mucous membranes in humans if ingested fresh. The dried roots do not have this astringent effect. Roots of older plants are far stronger and more bitter than those of younger plants. [citation needed]
Oshá plants form large clumps over time, and can grow to be very large. In areas of New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, oshá can reach heights of 6 to 7 feet and produce circular colonies with dozens of root crowns growing from a central root mass. Oshá is best harvested in the afternoon as the plants are relished by bears, which are known to visit the plants during the morning.[citation needed]
Similar species
Oshá grows in the same habitat in areas of the Mountain West of North America with
If the plant is growing near water in consistently moist soil, is tall (0.75–2m), has purple splotches on the main stem, and is heavily branched with small umbels of white flowers, it is probably poison hemlock and should be avoided. In any case, due to the high toxicity of poison hemlock, if a supposed oshá plant cannot be positively identified, it must be discarded.
Coniine, the main poison in hemlock species, can be absorbed through the skin. People who have come into contact with these plants, including crushing the leaves to perform a "smell test," should wash their hands immediately and avoid touching their eyes or mouth.
Cultural associations
In some Native American cultures, oshá is called "bear root" or "bear medicine". According to the ethnobotanist Shawn Sigstedt, who lived and studied with the Diné, a story is told of the brown bear's affinity for the oshá roots. The bear would eat the roots and rub some of them over its fur. The Diné credit the bear with leading them to the medicine.[3][4]
Etymology
The species name porteri honors the botanist and Christian clergyman Thomas Conrad Porter (1822–1901).[5]
Oshá has been said to mean "bear" in a Native American language.[6] The original language is unknown,[7] but note that the Spanish word for bear is Oso.
Common names
Its common names include oshá root, Porter's lovage, Porter's licorice-root, wild lovage, Porter's wild lovage,[8] loveroot, Porter's ligusticum, bear medicine, bear root, Colorado cough root, Indian root, Indian parsley, wild parsley, mountain ginseng, mountain carrot, nipo, chuchupate, chuchupati, chuchupaste, chuchupatle, guariaca, hierba del cochino or yerba de cochino, raíz del cochino, and washí (tarahumara). In the Jicarilla language, oshá is called ha’ich’idéé.
The
Uses
This plant has many uses in
References
- ISBN 0-87842-359-1
- ^ "Heracleum lanatum". University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ Cowen, Ron. 1990. "Medicine on the wild side; animals may rely on a natural pharmacy". Science News. 138: 280-2; Terrell, Bernadette, and Anne Fennell. 2009. "Oshá (Bear Root): Ligusticum porteri J.M. Coult. & Rose var. porteri". Native Plants Journal.10 (2): 110-117.
- .
- ^ Dodson, Carolyn; Dunmire, William W. 2007. Mountain Wildflowers of the Southern Rockies: Revealing Their Natural History. UNM Press, p. 78.
- ^ Bowen, Wm. F. "A Study of Osha Root and Its Volatile Oil." 1895. Proceedings of the Kansas Pharmaceutical Association, Sixteenth Annual Session. pp. 72–76.
- ^ Stewart, George R. 1970. American Place-Names: A Concise and Selective Dictionary for the Continental United States of America. Oxford University Press, p. 349.
- ^ "ITIS Standard Report Page: Ligusticum porteri". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
- ^ Rea, AM (1997). At the Desert's Green Edge: An Ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. pp. 232–233.
- ^ ISBN 9780806148281.
- ^ Camazine, Scott and Robert A. Bye 1980 A Study Of The Medical Ethnobotany Of The Zuni Indians of New Mexico. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2:365-388 (p. 379)