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Useful Tropical Plants

Salmea scandens

(L.) DC.

Asteraceae

+ Synonyms

Bidens scandens L.

Common Name:

Salmea scandens
Flowers and leaves
Photograph by: O. M. Montiel
Creative Commons License
Salmea scandens Salmea scandens

General Information

Salmea scandens is an erect, arching or (more commonly), a more or less scandent shrub producing stems 2 - 3 metres long.
The plant is gathered from the wild for local medicinal use.

Known Hazards

The plant is used as a fish poison, said to be so powerful that the fish 'jump out of the water.'[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Botanical References


Range

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, north to the Caribbean and through C. America to northern Mexico.

Habitat

Damp or wet thickets or forest, often in pine-oak forest, frequently in second growth, at elevations from sea level to 3,000 metres, but most common at 1,500 - 2,400 metres[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Properties

HabitShrub
Height2.50 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Much used in the decoction of local medicines in Guatemala[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Chewing the root deadens all sensation in the tongue[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. This is used as a remedy for toothache[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-07. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Salmea+scandens>

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