In Our Forest Now...

Plants of a Very Hot Summer

Things are not quite as hot as they have been but most plants are still blooming and going to seed much earlier than usual. We are finding that the desire to get out and harvest herbs requires determination and perserverance.

Undeterred, our students have been out on the many trails around Rabun County harvesting herbs and botanizing. Thank goodness for swimming and ice cream!

Stoneroot

(Collinsonia canadensis )

Stoneroot is now blooming in the deep forest shade. Upright racemes of greenish yellow flowers are not very conspicuous however the scent (rub the leaves to check for a lemony odor). After the flower fade, we gather the roots and process them immediately or their common name becomes abundantly clear.

Stoneroot flowers.

Wild Spikenard

(Aralia racemosa )

These large showy members of the Ginseng (Araliaceae) family are going to seed now. The leaves look like larger versions of our native ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) as do the berries. The root and berries are a wonderfully simulating expectorant and diaphoretic.

Black Walnut

(Juglans nigra )

Black walnuts are now about the size of a tennis ball and starting to fall. Soon we'll gather the green hulls (wearing gloves to keep from staining our hands) and use them to make a great antifungal salve. The edible nuts must be patiently picked out of the shells by hand. This is one of my favorite nuts and an ingredient in my favorite home-made ice cream. If you are traveling up Hwy 441 from Rabun County into North Carolina, stop at the Spring Ridge Creamery (Otto, NC) to try their black walnut ice cream! After a long day of harvesting, this is our reward....

Partridge Berry

(Mitchella repens)

The bright red berries of this small perennial evergreen vine are now visible on the forest floor. Collect the aerial parts now. I usually end up drying this as I gather it until I have enough to make it into a tincture. Because this is a tonic for the female reproductive system, the tincture must be taken daily for three to six months for best results.

Skullcap

(Scullelaria incana )

Skullcap is rather solitary, unlike other members of the mint family that like to grow in masses. We are gathering this herb now and making lots of tincture as I find this herb to be one of the best remedies for mental exhaustion and some types of insomnia.

Turk's Cap Lily

(Lillium superbum)

Saw a few Turk's cap lilies blooming here last week. Such an amazing flower!

For more information on harvesting, medicine making, and the uses of these and many other herbs, consult my book, Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians or join me for a class.

All photos by Patricia Kyritsi Howell