Common Name: Mulesears Wyethia

General Information

Wyethia amplexicaulis is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a relatively large taproot; the erect stems are usually around 15 - 60cm tall, occasionally reaching 100cm[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Central and Western N. America - Washington to Montana, south to Nevada and Colorado

Habitat

Open, not too dry hillsides and dry meadows in the foothills[]. Wet to dry, open sites, meadows, sagebrush scrub, yellow-pine forests at elevations of 400 - 3000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a free-draining, gritty but moisture-retentive soil in a sunny position[]. Plants are intolerant of drought[].
Plants are considered to be a pest of grazing ground in N. America and large-scale eradication programmes are carried out[].
Hybridizes in the wild with Wyethia arizonica[].

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[, , , , ]. The Native North Americans dug pits in the ground which they lined with large stones. They then burnt a fire on top of the stones until the stones were hot. The roots were placed on these hot stones, sealed in with fern leaves and earth and then fermented for one or two days[].

Seed[, , , ]. No more details are given.

Young shoots[]. No more details are given.

Medicinal

The roots furnish a remedy applied externally as a poultice to bruised and swollen limbs[, ].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse or cold frame in early spring. Use a very freely-draining compost, prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are large enough.
Careful division of the crown as the plants come into growth in spring[].