California Compass Plant
Wyethia angustifolia
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Wyethia angustifolia is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Seasonally moist meadows, open grassy slopes to 1600 metres in California.
Western N. America - Washington to California.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Seed - cooked. They can be used as a piñole. The seed can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickener in soups or can be added to cereal flours when making bread etc. Young leaves - raw.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A poultice of the pounded root has been used to draw blisters. A decoction of the leaves has been used as a bath to promote perspiration and thereby treat fevers.
Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Other
Rating: 1
A lemon-yellow dye is obtained from the flowers. A gold to brass dye is obtained from the flowers, leaves and stems.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
How it is grown
Requires a free-draining, gritty but moisture-retentive soil in a sunny position. Plants are intolerant of drought. This species requires climatic zone 9, meaning that it can only tolerate occasional light frosts. This is somewhat questionable since the plant's native range extends northwards to Washington where the winter temperatures often fall much lower than this.
Propagating it: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse or cold frame in early spring. Use a very freely-draining compost, prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are large enough. Careful division of the crown as the plants come into growth in spring.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist