''Pectis papposa'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. Common names include cinchweed, common chinchweed, many-bristle chinchweed, and many-bristle fetid-marigold.''Pectis papposa''.
NatureServe. 2012.

Description

Growing to in height, the plants form branched stems. The leaves are long and less than wide. Blooming from July to October, the yellow

flower heads A pseudanthium (; : pseudanthia) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, composite flowers ...

are wide, with 7–9 rays around a small central disk; the

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also loo ...

have 3–7 glands. The fruit is a narrow seed. Large groups of flowers can produce an odour of lemons.

Similar species

'' Pectis angustifolia'' is similar, but its bracts each have only one gland at the tip.

Distribution and habitat

''Pectis papposa'' generally flowers following summer

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

rains in the desert of

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

as far east as

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

northern Mexico Northern Mexico ( ), commonly referred as , is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua (state), ...

. In favorable years, it becomes an aspect dominant, coloring wide areas of the desert.

Ecology

It is a host plant of the beet leafhopper.

Uses

It can be found in Mexican markets sold as ''limoncillo''. It is used in moderation to flavor meat.

Among indigenous peoples

The

Seri Seri, Séri, or SERI may refer to: People *Camille Séri (born 1999), French hurdler *Jean Michaël Seri, an Ivorian professional footballer Places *Seri Yek-e Zarruk, Iran *Seri, Bheri, Nepal *Seri, Karnali, Nepal *Seri, Mahakali, Nepal *Seri ...

call the plant ("small casol"), ("fragrant casol"), and ("what causes vomiting") and use it medicinally. The Pima use a

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal medicine systems. D ...

of the plant or the dried plant itself as a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

. The

Zuni people The Zuni (; formerly spelled ''Zuñi'') are Native American Pueblo peoples native to the Zuni River valley. The Zuni people today are federally recognized as the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico, and most live in the Pueblo o ...

take an infusion of the whole plant as a

carminative A carminative, known in Latin as carminativum (plural carminativa), is a herb or preparation intended to combat flatulence either by preventing formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract or Name The word ''carminative'' is a derivative of Lat ...

, and use an infusion of the flowers as eye drops for

snowblindness Photokeratitis or ultraviolet keratitis is a painful eye condition caused by exposure of insufficiently protected eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays from either natural (e.g. intense direct or reflected sunlight) or artificial (e.g. the electric ...

. They also use the chewed flowers as perfume before dancing in ceremonies of "the secret fraternities". The

Havasupai The Havasupai people (Havasupai: ''Havsuw' Baaja'') are a Native American people and tribe who have lived in the Grand Canyon for at least the past 800 years. Their name means "people of the blue-green water", referring to Havasu Creek, a t ...

parch and grind the seeds and use them to make mush and soup. They also dip the fresh plant in salt water and eat it with mush or cornmeal as a condiment. The

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

use it as a spice.Castetter, E. F. 1935. Ethnobiological Studies in the American Southwest I. Uncultivated Native Plants Used as Sources of Food. ''University of New Mexico Bulletin'' 4(1) 1-44. p. 38.

References

papposa Flora of Northern America Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Plants described in 1849 Plants used in Native American cuisine Spices Taxa named by William Henry Harvey Taxa named by Asa Gray {{medicinal-plant-stub