Category: Native Plants

Curanderismo, Herbs, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Flores Medicinales : Matlalxochitl

Botanical synonyms and subspecies Allosperma tuberosa (L.) Raf. Commelina acuminata Kunth Commelina alpestris Standl. et Steyerm. Commelina coelestis fo. albipetala Matuda Commelina coelestis Willd. Commelina dianthifolia Delile Commelina elliptica Kunth Commelina fasciculata Ruiz et Pav. Commelina graminifolia Kunth Commelina pallida Schltdl. Commelina pallida Willd. Commelina tuberosa L. Commelina tuberosa Lour. Commelina tuberosa Redouté Commelina tuberosa var. inflata M. Martens et Galeotti Commelina tuberosa var. nana M. Martens et Galeotti Also called : barquito, cacamatlalin (Bye and Linares, 2013), caña de pollo, … Continue reading Flores Medicinales : Matlalxochitl

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Quelite : Metezurras

This Post is purely for informational purposes only. I have no personal experience using this herb either culinarily or medicinally and as much of the information on this species can be contradictory I recommend caution be demonstrated. A caution like this also demonstrates somewhat the loss of knowledge with regards to plants of this nature. The wild, weedy plants are often overlooked and replaced with … Continue reading Quelite : Metezurras

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Native Plants, The Kitchen

Flor de Izote

Flor de izote is the name for the edible flowers of the Yucca plant. Also called : Flor de Itabo, Lamaparas de Dios, Daguillo, Yucca flower, Cuaresmeña, Chocha, Palm flower, Pito flower, and Guayas. Izote derives from the Nahuatl word izotl (iczotl) which is the name for a species of yuca (Yuca aloifolia)  According to the Nahuatl dictionary….. iczotl. Principal English Translation: a type of … Continue reading Flor de Izote

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Curanderismo, Herbs, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Trans-Pecos Poreleaf

Quelite : Porophyllum scoparium delves into this herb from a Mexican point of view (1). Here we look at it from the other side of the Rio Bravo (the Rio Grande if you’re standing on its northern banks). I go into greater detail of its culinary and its medicinal usage. This plant is very interesting is that it is being used in a clinical environment … Continue reading Trans-Pecos Poreleaf

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, Native Plants

Papalo Adjacent. The Bajacalias.

Bajacalia Bajacalia is a genus of three species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (1), native primarily to the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico. The genus name derives from “Baja California,” reflecting the restricted range of its species in that region.(Loockerman et al 2003) the “daisy” Family. Papalo (Porophyllum) is in the same Family Geographic distribution of Bajacalia : Gulf coast of … Continue reading Papalo Adjacent. The Bajacalias.

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, Native Plants

Porophyllum maritimum

Porophyllum maritimum. Heterotypic Synonyms (1) : Porophyllum porfyreum (Rose & Standl 1916) A heterotypic synonym, also known as a taxonomic synonym or subjective synonym, is a scientific name based on a different type specimen than the currently accepted name, but which taxonomists (2) consider to belong to the same taxon (3). Unlike homotypic synonyms (4), they represent a matter of opinion or classification. Taxonomists are … Continue reading Porophyllum maritimum

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, Native Plants

Papalo and its Southern Cousins

Even though I consider Papalo (1) to be a quintessentially Mexican herb I feel I must note that the Mother of this Family (2) originates from lands further south than the Basin of Mexico and is even commonly known as “Bolivian coriander”. I have briefly written on Papalo in Peru, a land sharing a border with Bolivia, (3) which I would like to expand upon … Continue reading Papalo and its Southern Cousins

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Chincho. A Peruvian Quelite

After the Porophyllum species my next favourite group of wild herbs is the Tagetes family. My favourite child would be Pericón (Tagetes lucida which is a very Mexican herb (1) but snapping close on its heels would be its southern, more Bolivian primo Huacatay (Tagetes minuta) (2). Quelite : Pericón : Tagetes lucida Quelite : Huacatay : Tagetes minuta For more information on some of … Continue reading Chincho. A Peruvian Quelite

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
History, Native Plants

Xochipilli and the Bone Flower

*DISCLAIMER* Any products shown in this Post are for information purposes only. I was researching herbs specific to Tlaloc when a seemingly throwaway line in an article by Ortiz de Montellano (1980) (1) noting that “Certain plants were associated with particular gods: examples include omixochitl (Polianthus tuberosa) with Xochipilli, and cuetlaxochitl (Euphoria pulcherrima) with Xochiquetzal” caught my interest (the section highlighted in BOLD immediately drew … Continue reading Xochipilli and the Bone Flower

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment