Jan. 23rd, 2009
Herbs: Thuja occidentalis (Cedar)
Jan. 23rd, 2009 12:42 pm
FAMILY: Cupressaceae
HABITAT: New England and Southeastern Canada
--related to Western red cedar, T. plicata which grows mostly on NW coast
GENERAL: lives over 1,000 years, grows hollow in center making it hard to count tree rings, loves wet soil, rot resistant wood
Herbs: Phytolacca (Poke Root)
Jan. 23rd, 2009 12:59 pm
FAMILY: Phytolaccacaea (phyton = plant, lacca = crimson lake)
--two species common in N. America: americana (stronger dt mitogen & antiviral) and decandra
COMMON NAME: Poke root
GENERAL: perennial growing 5-8 feet tall, alternate oblong leaves, flowers in racemes, roots white and succulent with distinctive cross section, common invasive weed in central and SE US, I grew up with this one, always knew the berries are poisonous but we used them to paint our faces as children-->be savages. The constitution of the US was written with poke berry ink on hemp paper.