Many-Flowered Stoneseed

Many-flowered stoneseed

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Many-flowered Stoneseed

Lithospermum multiflorum

Common Names: Many-flowered Gromwell, Southwestern Stoneseed, Pretty Stoneseed
Family: Boraginaceae
Flowering Season (Bryce Region): May - August
Size: 8-24" (24 - 62 cm)
Range: Southern third of Utah, east to Colorado, and south to northern New Mexico

General Description

This plant is large and bushy with numerous, drooping, deep yellow flowers that are narrow with trumpet-shaped corollas having five smooth-edged lobes. The leaves are slightly hairy, narrow, and light to medium green in color. Stoneseeds belong to the borage family. This species can be easily confused with the Showy Stoneseed, Lithospermum incisum. The most obvious distinction is that the Showy Stoneseed is often a smaller herb with fewer stems and flowers.

Habitat

This plant grows on hills, canyons and mountain slopes. In the park it can be found in most areas, and is especially common along trails, roadsides, and tree-lines.

Plant Lore

Native Americans used the roots to make a purple dye for clothing and feathers. The seeds are hard, shiny, and white, hence the name stoneseed. Some sources claim that stoneseed plants were also used as a contraceptive and to treat diarrhea.

Further Reading

Buchanan, Hayle 1992. Wildflowers of Southwestern Utah. Bryce Canyon Natural History Association. Bryce Canyon, Utah.

Densmoore, Frances 1991. How Indians Used Wild Plants for Food Medicine and Crafts, Dover Publications.

Welsh, Treshow, and Moore. 1965. Common Utah Plants. Brigham Young University. Provo, Utah.