Lithospermum caroliniense

{{short description|North American species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae}}

{{Speciesbox

|image=Lithospermum caroliniense Arkansas.jpg

|image_caption=In Nevada County, Arkansas

|status= {{TNCStatus}}

|status_system= TNC

|status_ref= {{cite web |last1=NatureServe |title=Lithospermum caroliniense |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.138196/Lithospermum_caroliniense |access-date=14 November 2023 |location=Arlington, Virginia |date=2023}}

|genus=Lithospermum

|species=caroliniense

|authority=(Walter ex J.F. Gmel.) MacMill.

}}

Lithospermum caroliniense, commonly known as the hairy puccoon or Carolina puccoon or Plains puccoon,{{Cite web|title=PLAINS PUCCOON|url=https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/flowering-plants/swamp-fly-honeysuckle|access-date=2021-05-31|website=Ohio Department of Natural Resources}} is a flowering plant found in the Midwestern United States and Canadian provinces surrounding the Great Lakes.[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LICA13 United States Department of Agriculture] The plant grows in sandhills, pine barrens, and dry, sandy woods.[http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Lithospermum+caroliniense Plants for a Future]

Description

Dr. Robert W. Poole and Dr. Patricia Gentili describe the hairy puccoon as follows:[http://www.nearctica.com/flowers/borag/Lcarol.htm nearctica] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726182434/http://nearctica.com/flowers/borag/Lcarol.htm |date=2008-07-26 }}

Flowers large (up to 1 inch in diameter) yellow-orange with 5 petals and basal parts of petals fused into a long corolla tube. Stamens hidden in corolla tube. Flowers arranged in a flat-topped cluster or weakly curled, short sprays. Stem and leaves coarsely hairy. Leaves broadest in the middle, tapering at either end, and outer margin smooth. Plant 1 to 2.5 feet in height.

{{Gallery|Hairypuccoon.jpg|Flowers of hairy puccoon at Illinois Beach State Park}}

Cultivation and uses

To cultivate Lithospermum caroliniense a warm sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained lime-free sandy soil is needed.

A red dye is obtained from the dried or pulverized roots. The powdered root has also been used in the treatment of chest wounds.

References

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