Join Charles for an Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk in the Tucson Mountains
When: Sunday, November 12th, 9am-12noon
Where: Tucson Mountains (eastern slope)
Meet-up: At 9am we’ll assemble in the Fred Archer Neighborhood Center’s parking lot (southwest corner, next to La Cholla Blvd).
Fred Archer Neighborhood Center address: 1665 S La Cholla Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85713.
Additional: The Tucson Mountains is a small, low-lying range that rests on the western edge of Tucson. As a repository of Sonoran Desert plant life, the chain is supportive to an array of edible and medicinal plants.
A number of desert cacti of the region are well-represented: Saguaro, Barrel, Pincushion, and various Cholla species. Most have established (and tasty!) food uses. A few have lesser-known medicinal uses (Cholla roots).
More than the just the edible cacti, other fruit providers frequent the area. Wolfberry, Mesquite, and Paloverde abound. With the knowledge of how (and when) to gather/process the latter two (the ‘bean tree’ staples), smart plant utilitarians will be able to fall back on these in times of supply-chain disruption.
Creosote bush thrives in the region. A medicinal powerhouse, its therapeutic use is noteworthy: venomous insect bites, sun-damaged skin, certain autoimmune inflammations, a number of viral conditions. However, its internal use should not be considered carefree. Learn how to use the plant, intelligently and safely.
Ratany and Sangre de drago with their strong tannin-based astringencies, Ocotillo with its non-polar compounds, and Heartleaf bursage, with its interesting lactone set, are all here. Each has a unique medicinal influence.
All in all, I’ll touch on 20-25 edible/medicinal/poisonous plants.
Mini Book Signing: After we finish, I’ll have a book signing at the cars for anyone who wants to purchase a book (or bring your own copy for me to sign). I’ll have these titles available to sign/purchase:
- Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest (covers low elevation SW plants)
- Medicinal Plants of Western Mountain States (covers high elevation SW/Western plants) (Mt. Lemmon)
- Sonoran Desert Food Plants (low elevation wild edibles, Arizona)
- Wild Edible Plants of Arizona (high elevation Arizona) (Mt. Lemmon)