desert native designs

late summer / early fall desert wildflowers

2009-09-05T16:12:00.020-07:00

Scientific Name: Senna covesii

English Name: desert senna,rattlebox senna

Synonyms: Cassia covesii
Spanish Names:ejotillohojasén,daisillo,ojosón, oyasón, rosamaría

The color of this flower is an incredibly bright yellow,making it very difficult to photograph
it in sunlight. I was able to capture the color on a soft, cloudy, rainy day on September 5th, 2009.

"This species is a small subshrub with fuzzy gray-green leaves. S. covesii has four or six leaflets. Foliage is shed during dry seasons. Rains trigger short spikes of yellow caesalpinoid flowers, mostly in spring and late summer."

"The caterpillar of the Cloudless Sulfur (Phoebis sennae) and Sleepy Sulfur (Eurema nicippe) butterflies can be found feeding on the leaves and and the adult butterflies are often encountered flying nearby."

zephyranthes grandiflora - pink rain lily

2009-05-26T11:11:00.007-07:00

4 days after our wonderful, gentle, unusual May rains

true to its common name

the rain lily blooms

foliage is from the spider plant (chlorophytum comosum) growing next to it

visitors to the front pond

2009-05-25T11:23:00.005-07:00

so close to the house... through the screen was the only way to capture this visitor...

palo verdes

2009-04-30T15:16:00.004-07:00

summer cometh

2009-04-30T14:08:00.016-07:00

saguaros are starting to bloom along with the incredibly cheerful and bright palo verdes

the temperature in the house hits 80 before noon

fish are born to feed off the mosquito larvae that develop when the weather gets warmer

the cycle of life in the desert

and two remain

2009-04-23T13:47:00.006-07:00

echinopsis blossom's morning pollinator

2009-04-23T13:31:00.013-07:00

old world plants - blooming aloe

2009-04-21T12:45:00.010-07:00

... the spectacular February 12th, early spring, bloom of the aloe shown in my January 10th post

Anemopsis californica - Yerba Mansa a Sonoran desert medicinal plant 1.0

2009-04-21T10:45:00.018-07:00

Anemopsis californica - Yerba Mansa, starting to bloom, April 19th, in my front pond.

Taxonomy: Magnoliophyta (angiosperm), Magnoliopsida (dicot), Saururaceae

Common names: lizard tail, yerba mansa

Anemopsis californica, is also known as yerba mansa. Yerba, is spanish for herb and mansa is the feminine form of the spanish word manso meaning tame, tranquil or calm.

Medicinal Uses:

Although yerba mansa is not related to golden seal chemically or botanically it can be used similarly to treat inflammation of the mucous membranes, swollen gums and sore throat (Moore, 1989). This is important because golden seal, a popular herbal remedy, is in danger of becoming extinct in the wild due to exploitation. Properly managed, substituting yerba mansa could take some of the pressure off of the market for golden seal.

An infusion of roots can be taken as a diuretic to treat rheumatic diseases like gout by ridding the body of excess uric acid, which causes painful inflammation of the joints. Yerba mansa prevents the buildup of uric acid crystals in the kidneys which could causes kidney stones if left untreated. Yerba mansa's general antiinflammatory effect makes it excellent for treating arthritis and other inflammatory diseases (Moore, 1989).

A tea of roots used as a douche treats venereal sores, uterine cancer and is used after childbirth to staunch excessive bleeding. Yerba mansa is heralded for a variety of uses concerning childbirth. A sitz bath of one teaspoon tincture to one quart of water will quicken perineum healing after tearing or episiotomy during birth. The plant also has anti-fungal properties and a powder of dried root can be sprinkled on infected areas to alleviate athlete's foot or diaper rash (Kay, 1996).

Yerba mansa is versatile, it can be taken orally as a tea, tincture, infusion or dried in capsule form. It can be used externally for soaking inflamed or infected areas. It can be ground and used as a dusting powder. Some people in Las Cruces, NM use the leaves to make a poultice to relieve muscle swelling and inflammation.

People who have used this plant:
Yerba mansa has been used by many people the Pima, Mayo, Yaqui, Mexican, Chumash and Shoshone among them (Kay, 1996). I found no specific information on cultural practices concerning yerba mansa. Most sources indicate that the plant has been used by many groups in the southwestern United States. Margarita Artschwager Kay, author of Healing With Plants in the American and Mexican West, cites yerba mansa as having more entries in her notes than any other species in the American and Mexican west.

Non-medicinal Uses:
In the deserts of California yerba mansa is being used as turf in public parks and ground cover in gardens (Bakker, 1988).

When yerba mansa populates an area it broadens the ecology as decaying leaf matter and root oils acidify and aerate the soil and inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms (Moore, 1989).

Active Ingredients
The active compound in Yerba mansa is methyleugenol, an antispasmodic, similar in chemical structure to compounds found in nutmeg which is used to treat irritable stomach (Fleming, 1998).

night bloomers

2009-04-21T02:31:00.028-07:00

first, the sansevieria, on March 4th

. . . . . ...and now echinopsis - the easter lily cactus, April 21st

The genus Sansevieria, a member of the agave family (Agavaceae) contains approximately 60 species indigenous to Africa, Arabia, and India.

Sansevieria, whose common names include: mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, and snake plant, is a genus native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World.

In Africa, the leaves are used for fibre production; in some species, e.g. Sansevieria ehrenbergii, the plant's sap has antiseptic qualities, and the leaves are used for bandages in traditional first aid.

a brief but sweet spring

2009-04-21T01:58:00.027-07:00

gila were plentiful this spring at dreamy draw recreation area

along the 220 & 100 trail

Rains came late and the heat came early so we had a different mix of wildflowers this year at Dreamy Draw.

a lupine stands alone

old world plants in a new world desert garden

2009-01-10T17:43:00.022-07:00

during our cooler months, here in our New World Sonoran desert, we can add other low water use plants from the deserts and arid lands of the Old World.

I have a few aloe species that start to bloom in the Fall. I also have a large aloe specie
that is just now sending up it's inflorescence.

I also have brought a beautiful little bulb into my garden for it's winter bloom - Moraea polystachya. The plant has a nice grassy leaf yet needs to be placed in an area that does not receive too much water because the bulb can become spread rapidly and become invasive - a flower box or smaller area will contain it as well. The seeds disperse but not very far. My bulbs are planted in part shade, rocky sandy soil in areas that get mostly just rain water. I think in rich soil and with water this bulb could be a pest.

after the rains

2009-01-10T02:45:00.018-07:00

13 years later, the desert park by my home is recovering from the drought with a full complement of green seedlings.

Since the rains came later in the Fall and now early in the new year, there might be a different mix of wildflowers this spring - can't wait to find out.

I love it when the ferns start to surface - ferns in the desert? I have yet to become familiar with them but here is a photo of one and if you recognize it let me know...

Thanks to Lorena, I now know that the plant is Astrolepis cochisensis ssp. arizonica. She has an excellent website - Southern Arizona Rare Plants .