Herb: California Compass Plant


Latin name: Wyethia angustifolia


Family: Compositae



Medicinal use of California Compass Plant:

A poultice of the pounded root has been used to draw blisters. A decoction of the leaves has been used as a bath to promote perspiration and thereby treat fevers.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
August to
October

Habitat of the herb:

Seasonally moist meadows, open grassy slopes to 1600 metres in California.

Edible parts of California Compass Plant:

Seed - cooked. They can be used as a piäole. The seed can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickener in soups or can be added to cereal flours when making bread etc. Young leaves - raw.

Other uses of the herb:

A lemon-yellow dye is obtained from the flowers. A gold to brass dye is obtained from the flowers, leaves and stems.

Propagation of California Compass Plant:

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse or cold frame in early spring. Use a very freely-draining compost, prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are large enough. Careful division of the crown as the plants come into growth in spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Seasonally moist meadows, open grassy slopes to 1600 metres in California.

Known hazards of Wyethia angustifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.