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Arrowweed

Pluchea sericea

Also called Arrow Weed

Arrowweed
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0

Arrowweed is a rhizomatous evergreen desert shrub that forms dense thickets along watercourses and riverbanks in the lower Sonoran Desert. It thrives where its roots can reach a steady supply of water, so keep it moist and give it full sun.

Family
Asteraceae (Daisy family)
Grows as
Shrub, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist, as it naturally grows along watercourses.
Soil
Moist, well-drained sandy or loamy soil, such as riverbank alluvium.
Temperature
Tolerates hot desert summers and frost is not a concern in its native range; protect young plants from hard freezes.
How easy
Moderate
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
SW. & SC. U.S.A. to Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
Climate
desert or dry shrubland

About

Pluchea sericea, commonly called arrowweed or cachanilla (Mexico), is a rhizomatous evergreen shrub of riparian areas in the lower Sonoran Desert and surrounding areas. It is common in the lower Colorado River valley of California, Nevada and Arizona, as far east as Texas, and in northern Mexico where it often forms dense impenetrable thickets. It is a perennial shrub and grows along watercourses.

Uses

It was once used medicinally by Native Americans as an antidiarrheal and eyewash. Other traditional uses include thatching, arrowmaking and food, especially the edible root.

Other Pluchea plants

Pluchea · Sweetscent

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pluchea sericea 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.

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