''Pluchea sericea'', commonly called arrowweed or ''cachanilla'' (Mexico), is a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrub of riparian areas in the lower

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

and surrounding areas. It is common in the lower

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

valley of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, as far east as

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, and in northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

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 An anti-diarrhoeal drug (or anti-diarrheal drug in American English) is any medication which provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Types * Electrolyte solutions, while not true antidiarrhoeals, are used to replace lost fluids and salts in ac ...

and

eyewash Eyewash is a fluid, commonly salineus, used to physically wash the eyes in the case that they may be contaminated by foreign materials or substances. Eyewashes may be beneficial to those with sensitive eyes and can provide relief to the painful ...

. Other traditional uses include thatching, arrowmaking and food, especially the edible

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

. In other uses, the gum resin that exudes from the plant was used by the Papago Indians to make a mending glue on broken pottery.

References

External links

Calflora: ''Pluchea sericea'' (Arrow weed, Arrowweed)Jepson eFlora (TJM2) treatmentUSDA Plants ProfileUC CalPhotos gallery
sericea Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of California Flora of the South-Central United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Mojave Desert Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Inuleae-stub