Photo Essay
by Chloe Peppercorn
Anil de Muerto
Acacia
A
nil de Muerto, Verbesina ence-
lioides, also known as Golden
Crownbeard is easily over-
looked as a roadside ditch weed.
Although a member of the sunflower
family, it is easily distinguishable from
the familiar roadside sunflowers we see
in the BB region. With a large percent-
age of desert wildflowers having yellow
blooms, its silvery, grayish-blue hued
leaves noticeably stand out against the
darker browns and greens of other
desert foliage. If in doubt, Anil de
Muerto can be recognized by its rot-
ting meat odor, hence the Spanish
12
Cenizo
Cenizo
name “sunflower of the dead”.
Medicinal qualities are first and fore-
most an anti-inflammatory against
symptoms of stress. “Traditional
Mexican uses talk of good relief from
irritated hemorrhoids and stomach
ulcers with a hot cup of tea made from
the leaf. Mostly recommended for its
external uses, skin inflammation such
as sore gums, insect bites and stings,
bruises, burns and some skin rashes
can benefit from a salve or poultice.
Yerba de la negrita, Sphaeralacea spp.,
commonly called Globe Mallow, can
perform its floral colors in an array of
First Quarter 2014
oranges, pinks, purples, reds and
white. Crossed varieties of species as
well as environmental conditions can
influence these changes, but the prop-
erties of the plant are universal. When
crushed, the leaves are mucilaginous,
which is just another way of saying that
it’s SLIMY! In medicinal terms this
equates to soothing characteristics.
Often used at the onset of an unpro-
ductive cough, Globe Mallow is the
quintessential tea for a sore throat, and
is also said to boost lung immunity in
such infections. The tea can be used to
sooth urinary and bladder conditions.
It is a good first aid plant to know
when out in the wild as it helps to push
splinters and thorns to the skin’s sur-
face, and can reduce swelling in
sprains.
Cenizo, Leucophyllum frutescens, or
Purple Sage, is a plant not to go unrec-
ognized! A bushy shrub with gray sil-
very leaves and reddish purple flowers,
it acts more like an evergreen, never
really losing its leaves during the cold
months. Plain and simple, Cenizo has
been used for decades throughout
Texas and the Chihuahuan desert as
the basic cold and flu tea. Primarily it