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Lithospermum ruderale
Also called Columbia Puccoon, Western Gromwell, Columbia Gromwell, Lemonweed, Wayside Gromwell, Western Puccoon, Whiteweed
Western stoneseed is a native perennial herb of western North America, growing in open, dry, sagebrush and pine country. It is grown mainly as a wildflower or in native plant gardens, and it needs full sun and very good drainage.
Lithospermum ruderale is a species of flowering plant in the borage family. It is known by the common names wayside gromwell, puccoon, western stoneseed and lemonweed.
The species is native to western Canada and the western United States, where it can be found in open areas near sagebrush, juniper and pine.
The plant was used as a contraceptive by several Native American groups, including the Navajo and Shoshone. Studies on mice show the plant reduced their fertility. Plains Indians also used the roots to treat respiratory issues and cooked them as food.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lithospermum ruderale by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
