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Desmanthus illinoensis - (Michx.)MacMill. ex B.L.Rob.&Fernald.

Prairie Mimosa

Author	(Michx.)MacMill. ex B.L.Rob.&Fernald.	Botanical references	200, 235, 274
Family	Leguminosae	Genus	Desmanthus
Synonyms	Acuan illinoensis - (Michx.)Kuntze.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	N. America - Ohio to N. Dakota, New Mexico to Mississippi.
Habitat	Prairies, river banks and fields[222, 235]. Ditches, stream bottoms, fields, roadsides and low areas, often on clay soils[274].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed.

Seed - cooked. Rich in protein but without much flavour[183]. The seedpods are about 25mm long and contain 3 - 5 small seeds[235]. They are freely borne in the plants native environment, but will have to be very freely produced in this country if it is to be a worthwhile crop[K].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antipruritic; Ophthalmic.

A leaf tea has been used in the treatment of itchy skin[222, 257]. Five seeds have been placed in the eye at night and washed out in the morning to treat trachoma[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a moist but well-drained soil in full sun[200]. Plants are often found growing in clay soils in the wild[274]. Suitable for the wild garden or other naturalistic plantings[200]. In favourable situations this plant can self-sow to the point of nuisance[200]. This plant is being evaluated by the Land Institute of Salina, Kansas, as an edible legume for growing with perennial grains in a non-tillage permaculture system[183]. It is certainly worthy of more attention in this country, though the small seed size mitigates against its use[K]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in a cold frame in the spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. If you have sufficient seed then it is probably worthwhile sowing some in situ in mid to late spring.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Staple seed crops from perennials..

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[274] Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999 ISBN 1-889878-01-4
An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Desmanthus illinoensis

Oscar Holland Tue Nov 13 2007

According to Erowid, Desmanthus illinoensis is a perennial weed legume growing from .3 to 1 meter tall. It has fern-like leafed branches and produces N,N-DMT in its root bark. N,N-DMT is a psychoactive chemical in the tryptamine family, which causes intense visuals and strong psychedelic mental affects when smoked, injected, snorted, or (when taken with an MAOI such as haramaline) when swallowed orally. N,N-DMT is most often called just "DMT", although this name sometimes causes confusion with its chemical cousin 5-MeO-DMT. N,N-DMT is present in thousands of species of plants and has been used traditionally in South America both in Ayahuasca brews and snuffs since at least the time of first European contact. N,N-DMT gained significant notoriety in the last 15 years from Terence Mckenna's many glowing rants about the strange visions it can precipitate.

The Vaults of Erowid

Desmanthus illinoensis

Dan Tue Oct 28 2008

Wikipedia says this plant contains gramine in the roots, which is toxic, in addition to DMT.

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