Lactucarium : La Segunda Parte
I have come back to my wild lettuce plants to see how my lactucarium is coming along. The sap has dried into brown scabs on the stalk of the plant. There seems to be fewer areas of dried sap than the cuts I initially made. It is these brown crusty bits that I will harvest and later process into a tincture. I missed the fist … Continue reading Lactucarium : La Segunda Parte
Tenochtitlan in Australia?
The Mesoamerican deity Huitzilopochtli was the patron god of the Mexican people during the height of Aztec rule. Where he stands now is a little less clear though. Huitzilopochtli’s legend goes (1) that after he was betrayed by a nephew he killed him and removed his heart. This heart was disposed of on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco and, like many creation … Continue reading Tenochtitlan in Australia?
Lactucarium
I have previously written of the herbal extract known as lactucarium (1) produced from the wild herb Lactuca virosa. This plant, also known as wild lettuce is an edible plant whilst still young and tender. As it ages it becomes too prickly and bitter to eat. Much like other plants of its ilk (dandelion, cats ear, sowthistle) it produces a sticky white sap (or latex). … Continue reading Lactucarium
Porophyllum nummularium
SynonymsEupatorium punctatum Mill., Gardn. Diet. ed. 8, no. 1 1. 1768.Kleinia jorullensis HBK, Nov. Gen. & Sp. 4:156. 1820.Porophyllum nummularium DC, Prodr. 5:649. 1836.Porophyllum jorullcnse Cass., Diet. Sci. Nat. 43:57. 1826.Porophyllum ervendbergii Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 19:35. 1883.Porophyllum palmeri Rose, Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb. 1 :338. 1895.Porophyllum nelsonii Robins. & Greenm., Proc. Amer. Acad. 32:32. 1896.Porophyllum millspaughii Robins, in Millsp., Field Columb. Mus. Publ. Bot. … Continue reading Porophyllum nummularium
The Maguey as building material.
The agave is a multi-use plant. Aside from its edible and medicinal uses (and lets not forget tequila or mezcal) it has other utilitarian purposes. The skin of the penca can be used as a type of baking paper, string and rope can be made from these fibrous “leaves” and much of the plant can be used as building material. In some species the thorn … Continue reading The Maguey as building material.
Guaje.
Guaje pods grow from a tree known as Leucaena leucocephala. leucocephala (“leu” meaning white from the Greek “leukos” and “cephala” – head refers to the flowers) also known as cuaje, huajes, hauxya, huaxin, guash, guashe (Chiapas), guaje beans, cacalas, cascalhuite, Leadtree, White Popinac, Wild Tamarind or River Tamarind; Uaxim (Maya), ipil ipil (Philippines), Narendhar (India), Safed babul (Hindi), White Babool, Yin He Huan (Chinese) When … Continue reading Guaje.
Environmentally Friendly Paint from the Nopal Cactus
The nopal, much like the maguey, plays a pivotal role in the history of Mexico. Not only used as both food (1) and medicine both plants have a space in the creation legends of Mexico and both have multiple cultural usages. for both humans and livestock For many generations prior to the arrival of the Spanish the Mexican people made a durable and environmentally friendly … Continue reading Environmentally Friendly Paint from the Nopal Cactus
Yepaquilitl : Another Skunk Weed
Acacia acatlensis Cover photo : Young shoots of yepaquilitl : courtesy of Explora Jolalpan via Facebook. Syn. Senegalia acatlensis ; Acacia pueblensis ; Mariosousa acatlensis Also called borreguitos/ borrequitos, (also árbol del borrego), yepaquilitl (skunk Quelites) or yepaquihle, huizache, guayalote, guayote (Michoacan), quebrajache, guajillo (Puebla), chindata, chondata, chivos, tiñu, tlahuitole Another plant known by the Nahuatl terminology yepaquilitl is A.acatlensis. It is known by the … Continue reading Yepaquilitl : Another Skunk Weed
Festival for El Salvador
In early June, El Salvador was hit by Tropical Storm Amanda and tropical storm Cristobal in quick succession, causing deadly flooding and landslides across the country.Many communities have lost everything and are now living in shelters waiting for aid to arrive so they can survive.This happened when the country was under a long and strict quarantine, due to COVID-19. It deepened their poor socioeconomic situation, … Continue reading Festival for El Salvador
Pipitzcaquilitl : Porophyllum obtusifolium?
Porophyllum obtusifolium (?) Pipicha/Pipitza/Chepiche (Porophyllum tagetoides) (syn P.linaria) is a narrow leaved variety of poreleaf which is popular in Oaxaca (see Post Chepiche/Pipicha Porophyllum tagetoides ). Pipitzca may or may not be this herb. There are several pore leafs that have been identified as pipitzca. P.tagetoides (1) and P.punctatum (2) have been called pipitzca (Ortíz-Sánchez etal 2015) and even the naming of the herb P.obtusifolium … Continue reading Pipitzcaquilitl : Porophyllum obtusifolium?
Masa Americana 