Thelesperma filifolium

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Speciesbox |image = Curtis's botanical magazine (Plate 3505) (8043260256).jpg |status = {{TNCStatus}} |status_system = TNC |genus = Thelesperma |species = filifolium |authority = (Hook.) A.Gray |synonyms_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Thelesperma filifolium (Hook.) A.Gray |url=http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000128917 |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=www.worldfloraonline.org}}</ref> |synonyms = *''Coreopsis filifolia'' Hook. *''Coreopsis trifida'' Poir. *''Cosmidium burridgeanum'' Regel *''Cosmidium filifolium'' (Hook.) Nutt. *''Thelesperma filifolium'' var. ''filifolium'' (Hook.) A.Gray *''Thelesperma filifolium'' var. ''intermedium'' (Rydb.) Shinners *''Thelesperma intermedium'' Rydb. *''Thelesperma intermedium'' var. ''intermedium'' *''Thelesperma trifidum'' Britton }}

'''''Thelesperma filifolium''''', commonly known as '''stiff greenthread''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=THFI|taxon=Thelesperma filifolium|accessdate=9 December 2015}}</ref> or '''plains greenthread''',<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=38521 |taxon=''Thelesperma filifolium'' |accessdate=2011-02-09}}</ref> is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is often found growing in shallow soils. It prefers disturbed sites in dry, sandy or gravelly soil with a neutral to basic pH. Stiff greenthread adapts to various soil conditions, including loam, clay, caliche, and roadsides.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} It generally flowers from March to August, sometimes into October.<ref name="FNA">{{cite book |url=http://floranorthamerica.org/Thelesperma_filifolium |title=''Thelesperma filifolium'' |last1=Strother |first1=John L. |date=5 November 2020 |orig-date=2006 |website=Flora of North America |page=202 |language=en |isbn=978-0-19-530565-4 |oclc=179887145 |access-date=19 October 2024}}</ref>

==Distribution== In Texas, stiff greenthread can be found growing along roadsides and on dry hills in the South Plains and Edwards Plateau regions. The herb grows over much of the plains and mountain states, reaching up to Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota. It grows prolifically on the Navajo, Hopi, and Pueblo lands, as well as throughout much of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

Stiff greenthread is found on disturbed sites on clays or sandy soils, on rocky slopes, and often on limestone, at elevations from 10 to 2200 meters, in South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, and Querétaro.<ref name="FNA" /><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Thelesperma filifolium (Hook.) A. Gray |encyclopedia= Tropicos |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |url=https://tropicos.org/name/2711225 |access-date=19 October 2024 }}</ref>

==Description== {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}} Having a taproot, it is extremely resistant to drought, but thrives in rain. The designation greenthread is most appropriate, as it has thin, thread-like leaves. It can be single-stemmed or multi-stemmed, and reaches a height of 12 to 26 inches. The leaves are scattered along the whole stem. The daisy-like, 2 inch, eight-ray flowers are golden-yellow and the numerous disk flowers are reddish to dark brown. The urn-shaped bloom buds droop downward prior to opening. The inner whorl of phyllaries surrounding the lower portion of the bloom is translucent, which allows the colors of the developing flowers to be seen. When open, there are two types of phyllary at the base of the bloom: one is short and green, the other red and long.

==Ecology== The ripened seeds are a food source for the multi-colored painted bunting. It does not appear to be eaten by deer. It is a larval host for the dwarf yellow butterfly. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=thfi|title=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin|website=www.wildflower.org|access-date=2019-07-26}}</ref>

==Uses== The crushed leaves offer a pleasant aroma and can be made into tea, which is sometimes used medicinally by several Native American tribes. This is especially widespread among southwest tribes, where it is named Navajo tea, Hopi tea, or Indian tea.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

Stiff greenthread has traditionally been used by Diné (Navajo) and Ndé (Apache) as a tea. For the tea, the stem, leaves, and flowers were steeped, to be used as an astringent, to reduce mucus secretions, to reduce fevers, to treat kidney problems, as a vermifuge, to relieve stomach aches and other digestive ailments, and against sexually transmitted infections. The leaves were chewed to relieve toothache.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nmhistoricsites.org/bosque-redondo/site-audio-tour/nature-trail-audio-stop-14 |title=Nature Trail Audio Stop 14: Navajo Tea, Cota (Thelesperma filifolium): Ch'ilgohwéhí'deí |website=New Mexico Historic Sites |publisher=New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs |access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline}} *{{Wikispecies-inline}} *http://medplant.nmsu.edu/thelesperma.htm *[http://www.highdesertfarmers.com/index.html Artisan Steve Heil grows his own greenthread crop in New Mexico.]

Category:Coreopsideae Category:Plants described in 1849 Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine