Saturday, October 10, 2015

Curlycup Gumweed

The common Curlycup Gumweed, Grindelia squarrosa, grows along paths and roadsides from June through fall. 


Curlycup Gumweed



Native Americans used the Curlycup Gumweed as a wash to treat poison ivy and burns and as an ointment to manage asthma and bronchitis, and also as a common cough remedy. Cowboys used the dried flower heads as fixin’s in cigarettes to treat asthma. The gooey white leaf sap is a substitute for chewing gum. The yellow flowering heads and seed pods produce a yellow dye.  The flower blooms from August throughout the fall.

Curlycup Gumweed and friend