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Porophyllum gracile
Also called Odora
Slender poreleaf (odora) is a small, short-lived perennial shrub from the deserts of the southwestern US and northern Mexico, with thin waxy stems and strongly scented linear leaves. It is a wild desert plant rather than a common garden subject, and it needs sharp drainage and sun.
Porophyllum gracile is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names odora and slender poreleaf. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States from California to Texas, where it can be found in rocky and sandy desert scrub habitat.
This species grows into a small, short lived perennial shrub with branching slender stems measuring up to about 70 centimeters in maximum length. The stems are hairless and waxy in texture. The sparse waxy leaves are linear in shape and 1 to 5 centimeters in length. The herbage is glandular and aromatic with a strong scent.
The Seri call this species xtisil and use a tea made from the stems as a remedy for colds and to aid in difficult childbirth. The roots are macerated and used to treat toothache.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Porophyllum gracile 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.
