Tag: Forages

Lespedeza capitata

~ Badger Johnson

Lespedeza capitata, “Round-headed bush clover”
Fabaceae

Thanks Calvin Maginel for pointing this out when we were on Stegall Mountain!

Picture one is from Prairie Moon Nursery, picture two is my own and shows L. capitata is on the left, and Lespedeza virginica is pictured on the right, with a probable hybrid shown in the middle. Very cool to see intermediate blending of the traits. Lespedezas like hybridizing.

L. capitata was one of our more drought-resistant native Lespedezas.
L. capitata has tannins, the flavonoids lespecapitosine and kaempferitrin, and two flavonoid derivatives apigenin and luteolin. It is valued by contemporary herbalists for use in an infusion, as an astringent & diuretic for tumors, as well as urinary and kidney ailments. Research has shown that it lowers blood cholesterol levels, removes nitrogenous compounds from the blood, and is useful against certain carcinosarcomas.
Round Headed Bush Clover is a host plant to a number of butterflies and moths, including the Southern Cloudywing Butterfly, Northern Cloudywing Butterfly, Hoary Edge Butterfly, Silver-Spotted Skipper, the Bella Moth, and the Common Ptichodis Moth. The plant is especially high in protein making it a favorite choice of many kinds of mammalian wildlife including deer, rabbits, and muskrat. It can also be used in pastures as livestock forage. The seeds are eaten by gamebirds and songbirds, including the Mourning Dove, Bobwhite, Turkey, and Junco.

Tripsacum dactyloides

~ Badger Johnson

 

Tripsacum dactyloides, “Eastern Gamma Grass”
Poaceae

A premier native forage species for domesticated ruminants, this warm season grass also has maize-like edible seeds. Until the government told them they couldn’t slaughter their own animals onsite (and it is pretty onerous to have to load bison in a truck and take them anywhere, they’re huge and wild), there was an exemplary silvopasture in northern Missouri using bison, Tripsicum and hardy pecan (Carya illinoiensis).

Last I heard, the Land Institute is trying to cross T. dactyloides with other species to make a new perennial crop. Thanks Neal Humke for the tip. In the words of the inimitable Eric Toensmeier, “Corn (Zea mays) has perennial relatives and can also be crossed with hardy perennials including Eastern gammagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides). Work at the Land Institute has made substantial progress towards developing perennial corn. Land Institute breeders report that with sufficient funding a perennial corn could be ready for field tests in as little as ten years. One challenge is that the perennial rhizomes that overwinter the plants are not cold hardy, so breeding is focused on deeper rhizomes that survive below the frost line. Of course this consideration is not important in the tropics where millions of people rely on corn as a staple.”

Eastern gamma smells like cucumber if you break the base and has beard coming of sides of joints.

Perennial, with short stout rhizomes, forming clumps.

Stems 70-250 cm, base of culms flattened.

Leaf sheaths rounded to keeled on back, glabrous, ligule is a short membrane with a fringed margin. Leaf  blades 10-70 cm long x 7-20 cm wide, glabrous or somewhat hairy at base, midvein white and noticeably thickened, margins saw-toothed.

Inflorescences consisted of 1-4 dense, spike-like racemes. Staminate and pistillate spikelets in the same inflorescence, staminate ones toward tip and pistillate ones toward base. Glumes hardened and bony, somewhat resembling corn kernels. Blooms early-mid summer.

In Missouri, found in upland prairies, glades, savannas, less commonly in woodlands, roadsides, fields.

(Hybrid MOFEP/National Park Fire Ecology Manual)

Desmanthus illinoiensis

~ Badger Johnson

Desmanthus illinoiensis, “Illinois bundleflower”
Fabaceae

Over the past few years I’ve picked up quite a bit of lore about this plant, and I was happy to finally notice it on the roadside yesterday!

A common plant in many areas of the south central and Midwestern US. It can often be found growing on the sides of roads, needing full sun and ample moisture during its short growing season. USDA Zones 5-8 are recommended for outside cultivation (Wikipedia).

People have had good luck interesting it into existing warm season pastures (Dovel, Hussey, Holt 1990). Bundleflower can contribute protein in summer pastures in the Midwest (Fischbach et al. 2005). In a study comparing the possibility of native prairie legumes, sheep found Illinois bundleflower extremely palatable (Sheaffer, Wyse, Ehlke 2009). Illinois bundleflower also appears to have the greatest potential as a forage species among 15 species of native legumes evaluated for forage yield, quality, and seed production (McGraw et al. 2004).

Root bark of D. illinoensis has been found to contain N,N-DMT, NMT, N-hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine, 2-hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine, and gramine (toxic). The root bark is mixed with a native source of beta-Carbolines (e.g., passion flower in North America) to produce a hallucinogenic drink called prairiehuasca, which is an analog of the shamanic brew ayahuasca.

At one time the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas looked into using its seed as breeding stock for a novel, perennial, temperate, leguminous human food but have dropped it and are evaluating other leads.

(Wikipedia)

Lotus corniculatus

~ Badger Johnson

Lotus corniculatus, “birdsfoot trefoil”
Fabaceae

Birdsfoot trefoil is probably best known as a perennial legume forage crop, but this species has also been used for reclaiming strip mine land and as a ground cover on paths with high foot traffic (Personal Communication).

Producing high-quality forage for cattle and sheep in soils with a low pH, poor drainage, poor native fertility, or fragipans prone to heaving can be difficult. Birdsfoot trefoil is a forage legume that is more tolerant of these adverse production conditions. It can reseed itself, is resistant to Phytophthora root rot and numerous alfalfa insects, responds well to fertilization, and does not cause bloat in animals. As a result, it is being grown more often in the northern United States and southern Canada, where production of other forage legumes is limited. In good growing conditions, alfalfa easily out-performs birdsfoot trefoil.

About 25 varieties of birdsfoot trefoil are currently available in the United States and Canada. Varieties are generally characterized by growth habit into two types, Empire and European. Both types are referred to as “broadleaf” trefoils. Empire-type birdsfoot trefoils are better adapted for grazing since they have fine stems, prostrate growth, and an indeterminate growth habit. European-type birdsfoot trefoils are better adapted for hay production since they are more erect, establish faster, and regrow faster after harvest. (Penn State Extension)

It is invasive in upper Midwest, forming dense mats choking and shading out most other vegetation and probably eventually reducing species richness (personal communication). It is most problematic in prairies and disturbed open areas, such as roadsides. Prescribed burns increase seed germination making it troublesome in native prairies (Minnesota DNR).

All parts of the plant are poisonous, containing cyanogenic glycosides (hydrogen cyanide). In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death. This species is polymorphic for cyanogenic glycosides. The flowers of some forms of the plant contain traces of prussic acid and so the plants can become mildly toxic when flowering. They are completely innocuous when dried. An orange-yellow dye can be obtained from the flowers. When ingested by humans in small quantities, the plant is supposed to act as an carminative, febrifuge, hypoglycaemic, restorative, vermifuge. The flowers are antispasmodic, cardiotonic and sedative. The root is carminative, febrifuge, restorative and tonic. The plant is used externally as a local anti-inflammatory compress in all cases of skin inflammation (Plants for a Future). Please see a competent clinical herbalist.