Characteristics

The Prince's plume is one of the most striking desert plants in the Four Corners region. It has long, unbranched stems that can reach heights of 3 feet or more. At the top of each stem is a beautiful plume-like cluster of small, yellow flowers. Each flower has 4 petals and 6 stamens, which is typical of all plants in the mustard family. Long, slender leaves hang from the stalk below the flowers. The prince's plume grows in dry areas wherever the selenium content of the soil is high.

Ethnobotany

There is no recorded archaeological evidence of prince's plume remains in the ancient sites of the Four Corners. This may be because green plant material decays completely, in most situations. However, the Navajo, Paiute, and Hopi people are all known to have eaten its leaves. Because of the high selenium content of the leaves however, they were twice boiled, which is said to remove the toxic mineral. Prince's plume is a Navajo Life Medicine and has been used as an emetic and to treat glandular swellings.

Notes

The University of Michigan-Dearborn Native American Ethnobotany Database
http://www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb

Sagebrush Country, A Wildflower Sanctuary by Ronald J. Taylor

Wild Plants and Native Peoples of the Four Corners by William W. Dunmire & Gail D. Tierney

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