Thamnosma montana
Encyclopedia
Thamnosma montana is a species of flowering plant in the citrus family
known by the common names turpentine broom and Mojave desert-rue. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in scrub, juniper woodland, and other desert habitat. It grows among desert plants such as creosote, blackbrush
, ephedra
, and Yucca
species such as Joshua Tree. It is a shrub
with many straight, broomlike, yellow-green, gland-speckled branches 30 to 60 centimeters long. It is usually bare, without leaves, because the leaves are tiny and wither early. Flowers occur at intervals along the stem. Each has a greenish base of blunt sepal
s. The corolla is oval with rounded ends, the petals royal purple in color and, like most other parts of the plant, studded with visible resin glands. The tips of the petals curve outward, revealing a protruding stigma
and shorter yellow-tipped stamen
s. The fruit is a leathery, yellow-green, gland-spotted capsule with two nearly separate rounded lobes. Within the capsule are pale, kidney-shaped seeds about 4 millimeters long each. The fruits are eaten by animals which then disperse
the seeds.
This plant was used by many Native American
groups as a medicine, a ceremonial drug, and for pest control
.
Rutaceae
Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
known by the common names turpentine broom and Mojave desert-rue. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in scrub, juniper woodland, and other desert habitat. It grows among desert plants such as creosote, blackbrush
Coleogyne
Coleogyne is a monotypic genus in the rose family containing the single species Coleogyne ramosissima, which is known by the common name blackbrush. This thorny, aromatic shrub is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States. It is a thickly branched thicket which may spread across the...
, ephedra
Ephedra nevadensis
Ephedra nevadensis is a species of Ephedra native to dry areas of western North America.Its range extends west to California and Oregon, east to Texas, and south to Mexico, including areas of the Great Basin, Colorado plateau and desert Southwest...
, and Yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
species such as Joshua Tree. It is a 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 many straight, broomlike, yellow-green, gland-speckled branches 30 to 60 centimeters long. It is usually bare, without leaves, because the leaves are tiny and wither early. Flowers occur at intervals along the stem. Each has a greenish base of blunt sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s. The corolla is oval with rounded ends, the petals royal purple in color and, like most other parts of the plant, studded with visible resin glands. The tips of the petals curve outward, revealing a protruding stigma
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...
and shorter yellow-tipped stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. The fruit is a leathery, yellow-green, gland-spotted capsule with two nearly separate rounded lobes. Within the capsule are pale, kidney-shaped seeds about 4 millimeters long each. The fruits are eaten by animals which then disperse
Biological dispersal
Biological dispersal refers to species movement away from an existing population or away from the parent organism. Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics, population...
the seeds.
This plant was used by many Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
groups as a medicine, a ceremonial drug, and for pest control
Pest control
Pest control refers to the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest, usually because it is perceived to be detrimental to a person's health, the ecology or the economy.-History:...
.