Butterfly Weed – Asclepias tuberose

Butterfly Weed or Pleurisy Root is a smaller member of the Milkweed family. It is said that the plant hates its roots disturbed, so does not transplant well; but I have transplanted several roots, with two definite successes! I first noticed this plant in a field opposite my house back in the early 1970’s. I really liked it then, but after my kids grew up and my youngest daughter earned her Native American name (loosely translates into Butterfly Woman) I fell in love with it!

In the 19th Century Butterfly Weed was listed as an official medicine in the American Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1905. As its other common name implies (Pleurisy Root) has been used in lung diseases and complaints. In bronchitis, pleurisy, and pneumonia it reduces inflammations, and assists in expectoration of mucous. The Cherokee Indians of North America used a root tea to treat diarrhea and heart conditions as well as the lung complaints.

Daylily – Hemerocallis fulva

The species name means “beautiful for a day,” and it is so true. Each flower only lasts a day, it then withers away; a new flower will replace it on the marrow. This is another of the plants an elder neighbor gifted us with this year. I was completely surprised when they flowered not 2 weeks after transplant. They are extremely hardy and spread by stolons underground. If left undisturbed they will make large colonies of plants.

I have placed some in shade at the edge of the trees that line the property border; they will bloom less abundantly, but will naturalize the area well.

In China and Japan they are used to treat cancer, arsenic poisoning, uterine bleeding, vaginal yeast infections, as a diuretic and to treat urinary tract disorders. The fresh flowers can be added to a salad; the buds can be added to stir fry, mixed veggies, and added to soups or stews. All parts of the daylily are edible, and have been cultivated for thousands of years in Asia for food and medicine.

Not only are these plants beautiful, they are healthy in many ways. With the exception of cats; daylilies are harmful to the kidneys of domestic cats.

Lipiope - Liriope muscari.

This is one of the plants that an Elderly neighbor gifted me with this summer. Her husband had dug out tons of it and wanted it gone! My husband and I have been trying to find enough places for it this year.

The plant is very hardy, and nothing seems to kill it! I have some in a bucket, not planted for 7 or 8 weeks now...and found them blooming this week!!!

What surprised me while researching it was it’s medicinal uses. Looking at it I expected it to be less valuable! But the Koreans used it as a tonic to increase stamina. The root has been used as an anti inflammatory, a pectoral (Useful in relieving disorders of the chest or respiratory tract), a stimulant (temporarily arouses or accelerates physiological or organic activity), and an aphrodisiac (stimulating sexual arousal).

Indian Pipes - Monotropa uniflora

About 1/3 of our acre is left natural. In the woods at the base of a rotted tree stump I found these plants. As ghostly as they look, they need the moist duskiness of the woods to grow. These plant carry many names…Ghost plant, Indian Pipes, Corpse Plant…all of them are very descriptive!

It was on my 59th birthday that Gaia gave me the wonderful gift of sighting these rare beauties. I had learned about these very rare plants back when I was 12 years old and at Girl Scout Camp…. I never really expected to see them. You can imagine my surprise when I found these in my backyard!

This plant lacks chlorophyll. It gains its nutrients from a relationship with a fungus and with a tree. It either takes what it needs from a decaying stump (as mine is) or from a fungus that has attached itself to a tree. Many fungi and trees have this type of relationship -- it's called a “mycorrhizal relationship,” but the introduction of another plant into the chain is unusual.

In the past this plant was eaten, it reportedly tastes like asparagus when cooked, or tasteless when raw. The Cherokee Indians of North America pulverized the root and gave it for the treatment of epilepsy and convulsions. When it is made into a tincture, the color of the tincture is a dark blue, and the smell is like pickling vinegar!

It is not the regular garden plant, but I think I will keep the natural section of the yard for gifts like this one!