Chamaebatia foliolosa
| Chamaebatia foliolosa | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Chamaebatia |
| Species: | C. foliolosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Chamaebatia foliolosa | |
Chamaebatia foliolosa is a North American species of aromatic evergreen shrub in the rose family known by the common names mountain misery, bearclover,[2] and tarweed.
Description
The stems are covered in dark brown bark. The fernlike foliage is made up of pinnate leaves up to 10 centimetres (4 in) long, with 8–17 main leaflets; these are made up of smaller leaflets.[2] The leaves are dotted with sticky glands.
The roselike flowers have rounded white petals and yellow centers ringed with many stamens.[2] The fruit is a brownish-black achene.[2]
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to the mountains of California, where it grows in coniferous forests.[2]
Ecology
The species has been documented as carrying out nitrogen fixation, unusual for a plant in its family.[3]
Black gum from the plant may stick to clothing, and it is highly flammable due to its resin.[4]
Uses
The Miwok, who called the plant kit-kit-dizze,[5] used it as an herbal remedy for colds, coughs, rheumatism, chicken pox, measles, smallpox and other diseases.[6]
In culture
The name mountain misery comes from the California gold rush, when early pioneers would trip and fall from the dense, stinky brush.
References
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 389. ISBN 978-1-60469-263-1.
- ^ Heisey, Rod M.; Delwiche, C.C.; Virginia, Ross A.; Wrona, Anne F.; Bryan, Barbara A. (1980). "A New Nitrogen-Fixing Non-Legume: Chamaebatia foliolosa (Rosaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 67 (3): 429–431. Bibcode:1980AmJB...67..429H. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1980.tb07669.x. JSTOR 2442354.
- ^ Whitney, Stephen (1985). Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides). New York: Knopf. p. 433. ISBN 0-394-73127-1.
- ^ Bibby, Brian; Aguilar, Dugan (2005). Deeper Than Gold: Indian Life in the Sierra Foothills. Heyday. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-930588-96-0.
- ^ "Native American Ethnobotany Database". BRIT.org. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
External links