Old-world medicinal herb spotted thriving on Lake Ontario shoreline
iNaturalist: pipsissewa1
Native Plants
If you walk the Waterfront Trail near Pickering, you're passing a plant once cultivated across Europe for centuries as a cough and digestive remedy, now growing wild along the lakeshore.
Someone out walking the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in Pickering, Ontario spotted elecampane, a big leafy plant with shaggy yellow daisy-like flowers that can grow taller than a person. It's not native to North America, it came over from Europe and Asia where people used its root for centuries to treat coughs and stomach troubles, but it's since escaped gardens and naturalized in wild patches like this one. The sighting was verified by other observers, so scientists can trust the record for tracking where this plant is showing up.
Key Findings
Observation reached 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist, meaning identification was confirmed by the community
Location documented: Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Elecampane (Inula helenium) is a European/Asian native naturalized in eastern North America, historically used as a medicinal root
chevron_right Technical Summary
A citizen scientist confirmed a sighting of elecampane, a tall yellow-flowered European herb naturalized in North America, growing along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in Pickering, Ontario. The record adds a verified data point to tracking where this historically medicinal plant has spread.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Elecampane (Inula helenium) observed in Great Lakes Waterfront Tr, Pickering, ON, CA
Research-grade observation of Elecampane in Great Lakes Waterfront Tr, Pickering, ON, CA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Elecampane, pronounced and also called horse-heal or elfdock, is a widespread plant species in the sunflower family Asteraceae. It is native to Eurasia from Spain to Xinjiang province in western China, and naturalized in parts of North America.