Two Useful Plants

[dixieangler]

We have talked about Dog Fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) before that native indians use for insect repellent but here it is so you will know:

Dog Fennel Eupatorium capillifolium

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EUCA5

The juice can be used as a topical repellent (caution: test a small amount first to watch for any skin reaction). The stalks can be used for bedding and also burned for a smudge fire. As with any plant, make sure you have the right one first by getting a positive identification.

The other plant is one that I have heard works for a hand drill spindle on softwood when the stalk has gone woody and hardened in the Fall. Supposedly find the straightest and thickest stalks of this plant.

Horseweed Conyza canadensis

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=COCA5

[dixieangler]

I was surprised to see this in a wiki article,

Insect repellant

American beautyberry or Callicarpa americana has been found to be a natural insect repellent. It has found to be repellant to mosquitoes, which can carry yellow fever and malaria, as well as the tick, which carries Lyme disease. Four chemicals have been isolated that appear to be the active ingredients; borneol,[4] callicarpenal, intermedeol, and spathulenol. The discovery and use of callicarpenal has been patented by the United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Research Service as a mosquito repellent.[5]

It seems ironic that these two go on the same page,

Beautyberry Callicarpa americana is native to the southeastern United States. It can typically reach 1–2 m in height. A jelly can be made from its ripe berries. It has also been used to produce wine.[citation needed]

Article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautyberry

An insect repellent wine/jelly? lol This needs further study. Ah ha. Deane Jordan to the rescue. The berries for jelly and leaves for insect repellent.

Article
Beautyberry Jelly’s On A Roll

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igKeqZjxPYQ

There are three chemicals in the leaves scientists are trying to replicate for mosquito repellant. They may be as effective as DEET, according to researchers with the USDA. The chemicals, particularly one called callicarpenal, showed significant bite-deterring activity against the yellow-fever mosquito and the mosquito that spreads malaria. Callicarpenal and other compounds isolated from the plant also repelled fire ants and ticks.

We have loads of these around here along with dog fennel. As effective as DEET? Wouldn't that be something. I will get back to you on that one. So mix in some Beauty Berry leaves and some dog fennel and maybe a good insect repellent. This was the plant that I thought was a mint due to its strong minty odor and found out what it was at the county office. It is a pithy plant and I have a wood section cut to see if it has any friction potential but its sap (even after the wood has dried) has me doubting its friction potential. Same for Brazilian Pepper that I have a section of. Will get back to you on that also.

[LDS]

Horseweed makes an excellent spindle and is available everywhere. I am talking fire in 30 seconds!

I usually use it as an insert for a perminant spindle that is part of my kit.

[dixieangler]

No joke. Horseweed is pretty awesome. It is a pithy stalk and once I shave the outer skin off, the stalk dries and hardens. Probably would be better if I got a dead and dry standing stalk but right now the Horseweed stalks are still green. I get "easy" coals with it on Velvetleaf board. Nothing is easy but this combo works very good and I am amazed at how fast I can get a coal with it. I think I could probably go out and cut both a green Horseweed spindle and a green Velvetleaf board in the early morning, set them out in the sun and air to dry during the day and by late evening have both dry enough to use. They both dry out pretty fast. I am going to use Horseweed on the Beauty Berry and Brazilian Pepper boards first.

[dixieangler]

Amazingly the Beauty Berry board worked and the Brazilian Pepper board did not on the Horseweed spindle. So add Beauty Berry to the list of woods that work with a Horseweed spindle. I think the Brazilian Pepper is just the wrong kind of wood. Something in the wood from the sap or whatever keeps the friction from lighting the wood dust. It acted very much like the ornamental Viburnum. The Beauty Berry was a pleasant surprise to get a coal with it.

[dixieangler]

Refer to my corrections on other posts about my mix up of Horseweed and Goldenrod. I had been using Goldenrod. However I have also had lots of success with Horseweed, especially on Willow. I have used a lot of stalky pithy type plants for spindles and boards and some work while others don't but Goldenrod, Horseweed, and Velvetleaf are the best. I have used Beautyberry on itself with no luck but I put Goldenrod on it and it worked so I suspect the coal has more to do with the Goldenrod than the Beautyberry. Palasoxia on Palasoxia won't work but Horseweed on Palasoxia does. Same thing. The coal was due more to the Horseweed than the Palasoxia.

[your_comforting]

I have not successfully gotten an ember with goldenrod either. If you do figure out the combination please let me know.

horseweed is one of my favorite hand-drill materials. I also like to use black willow as my hearth with many different drill materials. Since willow grows in usually damp and sandy soil, I suppose it must have a high silica content. Conyza grows in poor soils also, and this could contribute to how quickly an ember is formed.

Silica content seems to have a lot to do with it. Mullein (Verbascum thaspus) that grows on the side of dirt roads or poor soils works better than the mullein growing in my yard (rich fertile soil).

[dixieangler]

I have not successfully gotten an ember with goldenrod either. If you do figure out the combination please let me know.

I have used Pinebarren Goldenrod (Solidago fistulosa) successfully on just about all the friction woods around here, Coastal Plain Willow, Maple, Velvetleaf, Beauty Berry, and Palasoxia. Although I suspect the last two are not good friction woods as they do not seem to work on themselves and that is a bad sign. My best combination for Goldenrod is on Velvetleaf with the firebow. I usually get a coal right away without much effort unless something is going on that is wrong, wet wood, too thin, split wood, too limber bendy spindle (spindle needs to be as thick and dry as possible for firebow), crooked spindle, etc. The key I found out with this combination is almost no pressure from the Goldenrod spindle to the Velvetleaf board at all. Only enough to hold it in place between the socket and board. Both the Goldenrod and Velvetleaf are here year round. The Goldenrod blooms in the Spring/Summer and into Fall but it is still here year round even when not blooming. This time of Winter now, many have gone woody making it easier to use them rather than waiting for them to dry out. The green ones do dry out quickly after cutting but dry out much faster in the sun and wind.

Falling for Yellow Wildflowers

Velvetleaf Abutilon theophrasti

BTW, Velvetleaf works good on itself if you can find or whittle down a straight enough length to use for a spindle. Velvetleaf does have a nasty tendency to split when it dries so I would not recommend setting it out in the direct sun. Goldenrod may also split on occasion but not as bad as Velvetleaf and Goldenrod may also shrink in thickness in the sun so I would not set them in the sun very long but wind and some indirect sunlight works best to dry them out.

[your_comforting]

Thanks for the reply. There are at least 3 species of goldenrod I've been trying, none of which I believe are fistulosa. I will try with less pressure on the willow hearth. I'll let you know how it goes!