Rocky Mountain Beeplant
Cleome serrulata
Family: Capparidaceae
What it is like
Cleome serrulata is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Waste land, plains and lower mountains, often on sandy soils.
Western N. America - Washington to Saskatchewan and south to California..
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Countries/locations it is found in
Native to southern Canada and western and central United States.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young shoots, leaves and flowers are cooked and used as potherbs. The plants were gathered and, after removing an alkaline taste, were eaten with cornmeal porridge. The plant smells like a skunk, but it was an important potherb for the native North American Indians and the early European settlers in America. Seed - raw or cooked. It can be dried and ground into a meal then used as a mush or mixed with flour to make bread etc. Seedpods - cooked. The hardened cakes of dyestuff (see note on the plants other uses) can be soaked in hot water and then eaten fried.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Seedpod: things such as Okra, French and Runner beans.
Medicine
Rating: 1
An infusion of the plant is drunk in the treatment of fevers and stomach disorders. A poultice made from the pounded, soaked leaves has been applied to sore eyes.
Deodorant: Masks smells. Is this medicinal?
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Other
Rating: 2
A black dye is obtained by boiling down the whole plant. It is used as a paint for decorating pottery. The young plants are harvested in mid-summer, boiled well in water, the woody parts of the plant are removed and the decoction is boiled again until it becomes thick and turns black. This thick liquid is then poured onto a board to dry in cakes and can be kept for an indefinite period. When needed it is soaked in hot water until the correct consistency for paint is achieved. A decoction of the leaves has been used as a body and shoe deodorant.
Deodorant: A pleasant smelling plant that is used on the body to mask the human smell.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
How it is grown
Prefers a light fertile soil in a warm dry sunny position with plenty of room to spread. A frost tender plant, it can be grown as a summer annual in Britain. A very good bee plant, it is often planted by apiarists in America. This plant was probably cultivated by the N. American Indians. The Indians would allow the plant to produce seed when it was growing wild in the cornfields in order to ensure a supply the following year.
Propagating it: Seed - surface sow or only lightly cover the seed in spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 5 - 14 days at 25°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring. Day time temperatures below 20°c depress germination but a night time fall to 20° is necessary.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness: 3-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
This plant can be weedy or invasive.
Its other names
Local names
Clammy weed, Stinking clover, Rocky Mountain beeplant/beeweed, stinking-clover, bee spiderflower, bee spider-flower, skunk weed, Navajo spinach, and guaco
Synonyms
Cleome integrifolia. Peritoma integrifolia.