Antelope Sage, James' buckwheat
Eriogonum jamesii
Family: Polygonaceae
What it is like
Eriogonum jamesii is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. It is in flower from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Sandy to gravelly or infrequently rocky flats and slopes, mixed grassland, saltbush, blackbrush, creosote bush, mesquite, and sagebrush communities and montane woodlands, 1300 - 2900 metres.
South-western N. America - Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
Some native North American Indian tribes used this plant as a contraceptive. The women would drink one cup of a decoction of the root during menstruation. A decoction of the whole plant has been drunk to ease the pain of childbirth. The root has been chewed as a cardiac medicine and as a treatment for stomach aches. An infusion of the roots has been used to treat despondency. The infusion has also been used as a wash for sore eyes. The plant has been chewed to sweeten the saliva.
Analgesic: Relieves pain.
Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.
Contraceptive: Prevents fertilization occurring in females.
Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Requires a loose lean gritty well-drained soil in a very sunny position. Succeeds in dry soils. Tolerates exposed positions. Requires some protection from winter wet. Established plants deeply resent root disturbance.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a sandy compost in a greenhouse. Sow stored seed in early spring in a warm greenhouse. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring. This has to be done with care because the plant resents root disturbance. Try to obtain divisions from around the edges of the plants without digging up the whole clump. Tease the divisions out with as much root on them as possible and pot them up. Grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse until they are rooting well and plant them out in the summer. Cuttings of greenwood with a heel in the summer.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist