Amsinckia tessellata
A.Gray
Boraginaceae
Amsinckia brachysantha Suksd.
Amsinckia collina Greene
Amsinckia conica Suksd.
Amsinckia deltoidea Suksd.
Amsinckia douglasiana elegans (Suksd.) Jeps. & Hoover
Amsinckia dudleyi Suksd.
Amsinckia elegans Suksd.
Amsinckia gloriosa Eastw. ex Suksd.
Amsinckia macrosepala (M.E.Jones) Suksd.
Amsinckia marginata Suksd.
Amsinckia mojavensis Suksd.
Amsinckia obliqua Suksd.
Amsinckia ovaticarpa Suksd.
Amsinckia platycarpa Suksd.
Amsinckia pustulata A.Heller
Amsinckia remotifructis Suksd.
Amsinckia rostellata Suksd.
Amsinckia salebrosa Suksd.
Amsinckia subintegra Suksd.
Amsinckia turrita Suksd.
Benthamia collina (Greene) Druce
Benthamia pustulata (A. Heller) Druce
Benthamia tessellate (A. Gray) Druce
Common Name: Bristly Fiddleneck
Plant growing at Joshua Tree National Park, USA
Photograph by: Jarek Tuszynski
General Information
Amsinckia tessellata is an annual plant with a branched stem that can grow from 30 - 150cm tall
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
60- Title
- Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hitchcock. C. L.
- Publisher
- University of Washington Press
- Year
- 1955
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
Range
South-western N. America - Washington to Idaho, south to northern Mexico and New Mexico
Habitat
Roadsides and dry open slopes and flats, often in disturbed soil[
60- Title
- Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hitchcock. C. L.
- Publisher
- University of Washington Press
- Year
- 1955
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
]
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.60 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Amsinckia tessellata is a plant of mainly semi-arid regions in western N. America.
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil in full sun[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
Seed[
161- Title
- Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Yanovsky. E.
- Publisher
- U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
- Year
-
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
,
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. No more details are given, but the seeds of other members of the genus is dried then ground into a powder and make into cakes which are eaten raw[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. If this species is like most other members of the family Boraginaceae, the seed is likely to ripen over a period of time and individual seeds fall from the plant when they are ripe. This will make harvesting any quantity of seed very fiddly and time consuming[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Leaves - raw[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. Sometimes the leaves are bruised by rubbing them between the hands and are then eaten with salt[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow late spring in situ[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
