Life in the Ditch

I've gotten a lot of good information from these two sites....

Scouring Rush - Equisetum hyemale
 The stems of this plant contain silica and were sometimes used to polish fingernails and arrow shafts, and even scour pots and pans. So ladies, we can toss those emery boards! 'cause I've seen plenty of these babies in the ditch.

This is not a member of the Rush family, but rather the Horsetail family, which makes sense when looking at the Latin name.
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Blue Fescue
 I don't know exactly which variety, but they sell these as ornamental grasses in the nurseries, and since I've found several in the ditches, I'm thinkin' of starting up my own little business.
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This next one I just love....Green Bulrush - Scirpus atrovirens
 When mature, the green spikelets turn brown or lead colored, causing it to also be called the Dark Green or Gray-headed Bulrush. Used as a food source by Indians and Pioneers alike.

Who's hungry?
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Carolina Horsenettle - Solanum carolinense - more commonly called Nightshade
  Also called bullnettle and sandbrier, this plant is a relative of the Irish Potato.

Nightshade has poisonous berries, though long ago, the fruit was used as a sedative and antispasmodic to treat epilepsy.
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Button Snakeroot, or Rattlesnake Master - Eryngium yuccifolium
   I thought this was some odd mutant, but it's a bona fide plant that belongs to the Parsley Family.

Used for toothaches, kidney disorders, nosebleeds and a preventative for Whooping Cough in the olden days, it sounds like this cured just about everything. Oh yeah....the roots were used to treat snakebite.

I've only seen one of these to date, so the the rest of youse guys will have to fight me for it...but since it's close to the road it will probably get mowed off some time.

Isn't this fun? Join me next time when we discover how to feed a family of 12 with just three weeds....
 

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