Long-styled sweet-cicely

Description

Osmorhiza longistylis, commonly called long-styled sweet-cicely or longstyle sweetroot, is an herbaceous plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to North America, where it is found from the Rocky Mountains east to the Atlantic Coast, in Canada and the United States.Its natural habitat is in forests with fertile soil, often in areas of loam and dappled sunlight. It can be found in areas of high or average quality natural communities,and does not tolerate intense disturbance. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows to two and a half feet tall. It produces umbels of small white flowers in late spring and early summer. The crushed plant has a distinct scent of anise. The roots have occasionally been used as a culinary substitute for anise.This species was also used historically by Native Americans as a medicinal herb. Osmorhiza is a genus of perennial herbs, known generally as sweet cicely, sweetcicely, or sweetroot. Most species are native to North America, but some grow in South America and Asia. Some species are used for medicinal purposes, but have dangerous lookalikes. The fruits of this plant have barbs on the end allowing them to stick to clothing, fur, or feathers. American Indians used the roots of sweet cicely as a panacea; tonic for upset stomach, to ease child birth; the root was poulticed on boils, and wounds; root tea as an eye wash. Folk medicine uses include, an expectorant, tonic for coughs and for stomachaches.