Porophyllum gracile
Encyclopedia
Porophyllum gracile is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common names odora and slender poreleaf. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States from California
to Texas
, where it can be found in rocky and sandy desert scrub habitat.
This species grows into a small, short lived perennial shrub
with branching slender stems measuring up to about 70 centimeters in maximum length. The stems are hairless and waxy in texture. The sparse waxy leaves are linear in shape and 1 to 5 centimeters in length. The herbage is glandular and aromatic with a strong scent.
Glands located in cavities in the leaves, stems and phyllaries produce several volatile chemicals
that act in synergy
to repel insect predators.
The inflorescence
produces narrow flower heads
which may be nearly 3 centimeters long when in bloom. The flower head is enclosed in five waxy, gland-studded phyllaries
. It bears 20 to 30 flowers, which are disc florets. Each flower is white or purplish and has a long, curling style
protruding from it. The fruit is a cylindrical achene
topped with a pappus
of bristles, the whole unit measuring over one centimeter long.
These uses may have scientific validity as many members of the Tageteae tribe contain thiophenes which have proven bactericidal properties.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
known by the common names odora and slender poreleaf. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where it can be found in rocky and sandy desert scrub habitat.
This species grows into a small, short lived perennial shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
with branching slender stems measuring up to about 70 centimeters in maximum length. The stems are hairless and waxy in texture. The sparse waxy leaves are linear in shape and 1 to 5 centimeters in length. The herbage is glandular and aromatic with a strong scent.
Glands located in cavities in the leaves, stems and phyllaries produce several volatile chemicals
Volatility (chemistry)
In chemistry and physics, volatility is the tendency of a substance to vaporize. Volatility is directly related to a substance's vapor pressure. At a given temperature, a substance with higher vapor pressure vaporizes more readily than a substance with a lower vapor pressure.The term is primarily...
that act in synergy
Synergy
Synergy may be defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable.The term synergy comes from the Greek word from , , meaning "working together".-Definitions and usages:...
to repel insect predators.
The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
produces narrow flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
which may be nearly 3 centimeters long when in bloom. The flower head is enclosed in five waxy, gland-studded phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
. It bears 20 to 30 flowers, which are disc florets. Each flower is white or purplish and has a long, curling style
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
protruding from it. The fruit is a cylindrical achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
topped with a pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
of bristles, the whole unit measuring over one centimeter long.
Uses
- The Seri call this species xtisil and use a tea made from the stems as a remedy for colds and to aid in difficult childbirth. The roots are mascerated and used to treat toothache.
- In some MexicanMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
markets fresh and dried material is available for sale as a medicinal. It is commonly called "hierba del venado."
These uses may have scientific validity as many members of the Tageteae tribe contain thiophenes which have proven bactericidal properties.