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Cacalia atriplicifolia - L.

Author	L.	Botanical references	43, 235
Family	Compositae	Genus	Cacalia
Synonyms	Arnoglossum atriplicifolium - (L.)H.E.Robins.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Eastern N. America - New York to Minnesota, south to Florida and Oklahoma.
Habitat	Dry open woods, thickets and openings[43].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.8m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Young leaves - cooked[177]. Used as a potherb[183]. The powdered leaves are used as a seasoning[257].

Medicinal Uses

Poultice.

The leaves have been used as a poultice for cuts, bruises and cancers, and also to draw out blood or poisonous materials[222, 257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a moist peaty or leafy lime-free soil in shade or semi-shade[200]. Plants tend to be somewhat invasive, they are best suited to naturalizing in the wild or woodland garden[200].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a cold frame. Surface sow or only just cover the seed and do not allow the compost to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade until they are large enough to plant out. Division in spring.

Links

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

References

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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