10/7/2016

TeucriumcanadenseWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Teucriumcanadense
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Teucriumcanadense,commonlyknownasCanadagermander,[1]
Americangermanderorwoodsage,isaperennialherbinthefamily
Lamiaceae.ItisnativetoNorthAmericawhereitisfoundacrossthe
contiguousstatesoftheUnitedStatesandinmuchofCanada.

Teucriumcanadense

Contents
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Description
Distributionandhabitat
Ecology
Uses
Etymology
References

Description
Scientificclassification
Americangermanderisarobustperennialplantwithafibrousroot
system,formingclumpsupto3ft(90cm)tall.Theuprightsquarish
stemshavesmallsidebranches,andsendoutrhizomesatthebase.The
leavesareopposite,stemmedlowerontheplantandunstemmedonthe
uppersectionsofthestalk.Theyareovateorlanceolate,deeplyveined
andcoarselytoothed,upto5in(13cm)longand2.5in(6cm)wide.
Theterminalinflorescencecontainsnumerouswhitishorpalelilac,
lippedflowerswithlarge,shelflikelowerlips.Thefruitscontainfour
pittedseedscoveredwithwhitehairs.[2]

Distributionandhabitat
ThespeciesisnativetoNorthAmerica.Itsrangeextendsthroughoutthe
48contiguousstatesoftheUnitedStates,anditisalsopresentinmuch
ofCanada.[3]Itisacommonplant,growinginmoistgrassland,atthe
edgesofforests,inthickets,onriververgesandattheedgesofmarshes.
Italsogrowsonwasteland,inpoorlydrainedareasandbesideroadside
ditches,andcanbesomewhatinvasive.[2]

Kingdom:

Plantae

(unranked):

Angiosperms

(unranked):

Eudicots

(unranked):

Asterids

Order:

Lamiales

Family:

Lamiaceae

Genus:

Teucrium

Species:

T.canadense
Binomialname

Teucriumcanadense
L.

Ecology
TheflowersofAmericangermanderareadaptedforpollinationbyinsectswithlongtongues,thelowerlip
providingaplatformonwhichtheinsectscanland.Pollinatorsincludebumblebees,honeybees,diggerbees,
cuckoobeesandmegachilidbees,andtheflowersarealsovisitedbyfliesandbutterfliesandoccasionallyby
hummingbirdmothsandhummingbirds.[2]Thefoliageisunappealingtograzinganimalsbecauseofitsbitter
taste.[2]

Uses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teucrium_canadense

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10/7/2016

TeucriumcanadenseWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Americangermandercontainsanumberofchemicalswithpharmacologicalproperties,suchasflavinoids,
diterpenoids,tannins,bitteraromatics,volatileoilsandglycosides,includingsaponins.Theearliestknownuse
oftheplantwasbyNativeAmericanswhogroundtheleavestoprepareaherbalteaforuseasadiureticandto
promotesweating.Thegreenpartsoftheplantarealsousedasanantisepticwounddressingandmadeintoa
tinctureforgargling.[4]

Etymology
ThegenusTeucriumhonorsKingTeucer,kingofTroy,whowasfirsttouseoneofthespeciesofplantsto
relievestomachpainandgout.Thespecificepithetcanadensereferstotheplantbeingnative(inpart)to
Canada.[5]

References
1."Teucriumcanadense".NaturalResourcesConservationServicePLANTSDatabase.USDA.Retrieved24September
2016.
2."Americangermander".WildflowersofIllinois.Retrieved23September2016.
3."AmericanGermander,WoodSage,CanadaGermanderTeucriumcanadense".WildflowersoftheUnitedStates.
Retrieved23September2016.
4."Teucriumcanadense".TheMedicinalHerbGardensatONU.OhioNorthernUniversity.Retrieved23September
2016.
5."Teucriumcanadense".MissouriBotanicalGarden.RetrievedOctober6,2016.

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Categories: Teucrium FloraofNorthAmerica
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