Lithospermum caroliniense, commonly known as the hairy puccoon or Carolina puccoon or Plains puccoon,[1] is a flowering plant found in the Midwestern United States and Canadian provinces surrounding the Great Lakes.[2] The plant grows in sandhills, pine barrens, and dry, sandy woods.[3]

Lithospermum caroliniense
In Nevada County, Arkansas
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Boraginales
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Lithospermum
Species:	L. caroliniense
Binomial name
Lithospermum caroliniense (Walter ex J.F. Gmel.) MacMill.

Description

Dr. Robert W. Poole and Dr. Patricia Gentili describe the hairy puccoon as follows:[4]

Flowers large (up to 1 inch in diameter) yellow-orange with 5 petals and basal parts of petals fused into a long corolla tube. Stamens hidden in corolla tube. Flowers arranged in a flat-topped cluster or weakly curled, short sprays. Stem and leaves coarsely hairy. Leaves broadest in the middle, tapering at either end, and outer margin smooth. Plant 1 to 2.5 feet in height.

Cultivation and uses

To cultivate Lithospermum caroliniense a warm sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained lime-free sandy soil is needed.

A red dye is obtained from the dried or pulverized roots. The powdered root has also been used in the treatment of chest wounds.[3]

References

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