Tragedy has struck the Greenway in the form of a lawn tractor that mowed the sides of the path even more than before, mercilessly chopping down most of the wild flowers and leaving only a sad fringe of Canadian Goldenrod that has yet to bloom. Mixed in with those are a few varieties of Blackberries bushes, their berries are now ripening in the sun for me to pick as I wind my way down the trail. In addition, the mower chopped down saplings and bushes, and even tried to level the banks of a creek. On a positive note, the mower did get rid of a bumper crop of poison ivy that was really out of control. The grounds crew probably spread herbicide over the area because nothing has grown back. It’s not that the area lacks water because it’s rained a lot. We’ve had some mighty storms, yet the mowed area is lifeless – a sad fringe of brown debris that crunches under my shoes as I try to walk over it.
The only wildflowers left intact are the acres of Lizard Tails, and the areas surrounding the powerline towers. That land is an easement, which means that the land is not controlled by the county. It is regulated by a utility company, and federal government agencies like the Department of Transportation. An official somewhere hired a vegetation management company to monitor the land and make sure it meets the standards of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). This is an international regulatory authority that developed and enforces Reliability Standards. It’s the responsibility of the management company to assess the area for accessibility and to trim, remove vegetation and spread herbicides around so that immediate access to the wires can be obtained if and when it’s needed. The work around the powerline towers occurred last autumn, so for now, the area is being left alone. Which is a good thing for American Germander, one of the only a few flowering plants that remains.
Although the Lizard Tails, like the pre-mowed poison ivy, have spread like wild fire, around the trail of the powerline towers near a stream, American Germander plants have created a colony of their own. American Germander is also called Wood Sage, or Canadian Germander, because it is also found in the lower provinces of Canada, as well as in all of the continuous states of the United States. Its scientific name is Teucrium canadense. Teucer was the name of the ancient king of Troy who used a potion made from a European species of Germander to ease the pain of his stomach aches and gout. The word, “canadense”, means that this species grows in Canada. The common name, Germander, comes from an altered Greek word, chamaldry, describing a European species of Teucrium that grows low to the ground and resembles oak leaves. The American Germander plant is a deciduous perennial herb that can thrive in moist soil, such as those around the edges of marshland, in damp ditches, and in other poorly drained areas. The plant has square hairy stems which send out rhizomes at their bottoms allowing the plant to grow in clumps. American Germander is in a family of plants called the Lamiaceae. This is the same family as mint and dead nettles, (a plant that was discussed for February).
There are over 300 species of Teucrium plants, but the American or Canadian Germander is native to North America. In its growing season, it will reach almost a meter or 3 feet high and can spreads out in a colony to cover an area of 2 meters wide. The plant’s square and hairy stems are sometimes, but not often, branched. Its leaves are oval or arrow shaped and deeply veined, growing opposite each other. The leaves have saw-toothed, zigzag edges and are usually around 5 inches long and about 2 ½ inches wide. The stem of each plant ends in a terminal spike that develops flower buds. These open and bloom from the bottom up starting in mid-summer, and ending by mid-fall. The showy flowers are no more than ½” long and are lilac, pink or cream in color. They have an unusual shape with a small upper lip and larger bottom lip that is cupped. The flowers also have two horns, or lobes, that point upwards on the sides. Resources say that the spike that holds all the flowers can be as small as one to five inches long, but the spikes near the powerline towers were at least double that size. The flowers are structured in such a way that only long tongued insects and critters can pollinate the plants and its large bottom lip is a perfect resting place for them as they feed. The flowers don’t have an aroma that humans can detect, but they have no problem attracting long-tongued bees like bumblebees, honeybees, Anthophorine bees, cuckoo bees, miner bees and leaf-cutting bees. The bees eat and collect pollen from the flowers and also drink their nectar. Other insects like flies and butterflies seek out American Germander nectar, and even hummingbirds and hummingbird moths can be found dipping their tongues or proboscis into the flowers. The plant has a very bitter taste so deer and other grazing animals will avoid it. If used as a garden plant, it can be a beautiful ground cover, but it may become aggressive if not kept in check.
Early American pioneers used the bitter leaves as medicine, thinking that anything tasting that bad, must be good for something, and European Germander plants had been used for thousands of years. Wikipedia claims that the American plant contains a number of beneficial chemicals such as flavonoids, diterpenoids, tannins, and glycosides including saponins. Saponins are attracting interest because of their effect on the human immune system. They may protect humans from cancer, be an antidote against lead poisoning, lower cholesterol and glucose levels, and prevent tooth decay at the same time. As a chemical saponins are also used in the production of soap and the smothering material in fire extinguishers.
The plant is also used as a diuretic so it is good for gout. It causes sweating, and in addition can be used to treat lung and throat aliments. It has also been used for getting rid of intestinal parasites. Native people of North America made the leaves into a tea, and also used the leaves to create a poultice that has antiseptic properties and helps heal external wounds. Gargling with the tea may treat mouth ailments. Even more intriguing, several sources say that a tea made from the leaves of the American Germander plant can induce menstruation, although they do not specify if this means that the tea can end an unwanted pregnancy.
The American Germander is a complex plant with many medicinal uses. Some people use the plant as a mouth wash or to help with weight loss and digestion. It might also help people with a variety of illnesses, from gallbladder conditions, fevers, stomachaches and diarrhea. As mentioned before, its diuretic properties are helpful for those suffering with gout, and more than one resource claimed that the plant is used as a flavoring in alcoholic beverages! But unless you’re a trained chemist or pharmacist and know exactly what you’re doing, beware! I’m warning you. The plants are bitter and don’t taste good. Studies have reported incidents of people getting liver damage, or hepatitis after ingesting the plant. Some people have even died.
Two smaller and bushier species of Germander have been introduced to eastern America from Europe. T. scorodonia has yellow flowers and T. botrys, or the Cutleaf Germander, is an annual with purple flowers. In Europe Germander has been used for centuries to treat digestive disorders and inflammation but since there are so many species of the plant it is difficult to know which ones are benefical. For example, Teucrium chamaedrys found in the Mediterranean region is beneficial for inflammatory conditions such as fever, arthritis, gout and digestive problems, and one of the Germander plants is being marketed and sold in capsules or as a tea claiming to be an aid for weight loss and control of diabetes. However, in 1992 these pills had been shown to cause hepatotoxicity that caused liver damage. Because of this, the pills have been banned in some countries. They were never marketed in the United States.
Since there are so many Germander plants worldwide, and they have been used as medicine for thousands of years, it is difficult to get information on American Germander specifically. But if you want to find out more about this toxic plant check out the resources below:
John Shi, et al., National Library of Medicine, “Saponins from edible legumes: chemistry, processing, and health benefits”, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/151175
Yuklyoshi Tamura, et al., Alternative Medicine, edited by Hiroshi Sakagami, “Application of Saponin-Containing Plants in Foods and Cosmetics”, 2012, https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/41492
Illinoiswildflowers info, “American Germander, https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/germander.htm
The University of Texas Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Plant Database, Teucrium canadense, Canada Germander, American Germander, Canadian Germander, Germander, Hairy Germander, Wood Sage. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=teca3
Missouri Department of Conservation, “America Germander” https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/american-germander#:~:text=Germander%20had%20many%20medicinal%20uses,intestinal%20parasites%2C%20and%20external%20wounds
Hannah Sweet, eat the Planet, “Germander, Hardy Ground Cover with a Herbal History”, https://eattheplanet.org/germander-hardy-ground-cover-with-a-herbal-history/