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Comptonia peregrina
Also called Sweet fern, Fern Gale, Comptonia
Comptonia peregrina is a species of flowering plant in the family Myricaceae native to eastern North America. It is the only extant (living) species in the genus Comptonia, although some extinct species are placed in the genus.
Comptonia peregrina is native to eastern North America, from the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec in the north, east to Nova Scotia, to extreme northern Georgia in the south, and west to Minnesota. It tends to grow on dry sandy sites and is associated with pine stands.
The plant produces a bristly burr that contains 1 to 4 edible nutlets. The aromatic leaves (fresh or dried) are used to make a tea. Canadian author Catharine Parr Traill includes it in her book The Female Emigrant's Guide in a list of substitutes for China tea. "When boiled," she notes, "it has a slightly resinous taste, with a bitter flavour, that is not very unpleasant." Mistaking it for a fern, she says that it is in high repute "among the Yankee and old Canadian housewifes (sic)." Tea made from the plant has been said to treat the effects of poison ivy when applied to the affected area. The plant can be used as a seasoning.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Comptonia peregrina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
