Common Name:

General Information

Porophyllum punctatum is a slender, much-branched, erect shrub usually growing 100 - 200cm tall, occasionally to 400cm[]. Collectors often call this plant a shrub, but it seems more likely to be a suffrutescent annual or a perennial[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

C. America - Costa Rica, north to the coastal states of eastern and western Mexico.

Habitat

Moist or dry, open or brushy, often rocky slopes or plains, sometimes in pine or oak forest, at elevations from 100 - 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant can flower all year round if there is sufficient rain[].
Local populations of this species, located in hilly areas separated from one another by lowlands, apparently have differentiated to such an extent that certain populations have been designated as separate species in the past[].
In addition, there is tremendous variation in size of the plants. Those in the drier areas of Mexico usually attain a height of one to two meteres ,whilst plants in southern Mexico, and more mesic regions, attain heights of about four metres[].
The aromatic oils, which are contained largely in the pores or glands that are especially plentiful on the leaves, produce a strong odour when the foliage is bruised, broken, or heated. Cures, real or fancied, that are attributed to various species of Porophyllum are probably largely due to either the soothing properties of the oils or the imagination by the patient that anything that is so odoriferous must be beneficial[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

An infusion is used as a remedy for gonorrhea[].
Leaves, stems, or roots are generally heated in water to make a strong tea which is taken internally or applied externally[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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