I found this flower along Lansing's Riverwalk, south of our house. It's a Canada Anemone. It's very distinct from other white anemones because of the spiky leaves, almost like geraniums. A good way to remember the "Canada" link is that the leaf half looks a bit like a maple leaf, which is on the Canadian flag.
 |
| Canada Anemone |
I could find no uses for this plant, and it's just as well because the Canada Anemone is listed as by the U.S. federal government as endangered in Connecticut, Maryland, and Tennessee. You can't tell here, but the flower, at 2 inches across, is a lot larger than other anemones, which are generally about 3/4 inch across.
Again, I give kudos to Mary at
Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter for identifying this plant, which was not listed in any wildflower book or even in a list of weeds with purple or blue flowers. It's Ajuga, or Bugleweed, which people sometimes plant as ground cover. Other names are Abija, Abuga, Bugula (sounds like a vampire!), Carpenter's Herb, Middle Comfrey, and Sicklewort.
 |
| Ajuga or Bugleweed |
This plant is supposed to have a lot of
medicinal uses. This is not a huge interest of mine, but I did notice the assertion that you can put the leaves and flowers in the bath to ease aching muscles and frayed nerves. (Honestly, though...wouldn't the warm water itself do that?) It was also once used to cure hangovers! (Not that I would know anything about that!)
No comments:
Post a Comment