Morning Brides, Douglas' dustymaiden, Alpine dustymaiden
Chaenactis douglasii
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Chaenactis douglasii is a BIENNIAL/PERENNIAL growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) 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.
Height (m): 0.4
Where it is found
Dry to medium-moist soils along roadsides, waste places and hillsides, especially where the soil has been disturbed.
Western N. America - Montana to British Columbia, south to Arizona, California and New Mexico.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
Morning brides was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints, but especially to treat skin problems. It is not generally used in modern herbalism. An infusion of the whole plant has been given to children in order to slow their heart rates. It is also used in the treatment of stomach complaints, coughs and colds. The fresh plant, or sometimes just the leaves, are crushed and applied as a poultice to swellings, sores and aches. An infusion is used as a wash for a variety of skin problems including pimples, chapped hands, boils and insect bites.
Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Requires a deep well-drained gritty or gravelly soil, preferably of low fertility and a sunny position. Grows well in the rock garden. The plant is a biennial or short-lived perennial.
Propagating it: Seed - surface sow in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Biennial/Perennial
Hardiness: 6-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist