Apocynum cannabinum

Apocynum cannabinum (dogbane, amy root, hemp dogbane, prairie dogbane, Indian hemp, hemp dogsbane, rheumatism root, dogsbane, or wild cotton)^[1] is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows throughout much of North America—in the southern half of Canada and throughout the United States. It is poisonous to humans, dogs, cats, and horses. All parts of the plant contain toxic cardiac glycosides that can cause potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias if ingested. Some Lepidoptera can withstand the toxins and feed on this plant.

Description

Apocynum cannabinum grows up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall. The stems are reddish and contain a milky latex. The leaves are opposite, simple, broad, and lanceolate, 7–15 cm (2.8–5.9 in) long and 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) broad, entire, and smooth on top with white hairs on the underside. It flowers from July to August, has large sepals, and a five-lobed white corolla. The flowers are hermaphrodite, with both male and female organs.^[2] The seeds have white, silky hairs to aid in wind dispersal, but the lightweight seed is also able to disperse via water due to its light weight.^[3] The root system consists of short rhizomes and horizontal roots.^[3]

Taxonomy

Apocynum cannabinum was described and named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is classified in the genus Apocynum, a part of the family Apocynaceae. It has no accepted subspecies, but it has synonyms.^[4]

Etymology

Apocynum means "poisonous to dogs".^{[citation needed]} The specific epithet cannabinum, and the common names hemp dogbane and Indian hemp refer to its similarity to Cannabis as a source of fiber.^[5] It likely got its name from its resemblance to a European species of the same name.^[which?][6] It is called qéemu qǽːmu in Nez Perce^[7] and taxʷɨ́s in Sahaptin.^{[citation needed]} The Maidu Concow people call the plant pö (Konkow language).^[8]

Distribution and habitat

Apocynum cannabinum grows in open wooded areas, ditches, and hillsides. It is found in gravelly or sandy soil, mainly near streams in shady or moist places.^[2] It is also found in human-disturbed habitats.^[9] It is native to much of North America—in the southern half of Canada and throughout the United States.^[10]

Ecology

The plant serves as a larval host for the snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis),^[11] which is a pollinator that resembles a small hummingbird.^[12] It is also a host plant for the dogbane tiger moth (Cycnia tenera) and the zebra caterpillar (Melanchra picta). The larvae of Marmara apocynella^[11] feed on the stems, making a "long whitish serpentine mine".^[13] Indian hemp is primarily pollinated by insects that are attracted to the fragrance and nectar of the flower.^[3]

Toxicity

It is poisonous to humans,^[2] dogs, cats, and horses.^[14] All parts of the plant are toxic and contain cardiac glycosides.^[2] The plant is toxic both green and dried.^[15] The stems contain a white sap capable of causing skin blisters.^[16]

Uses

Fiber

Much like flax and hemp, Apocynum cannabinum contains long fibers in the stems, known as bast fibers, which can be extracted and used to create textiles. The fibers are very fine and strong, with a silky texture, and easier to process than hemp.^[5] The stalks of this plant have been used as a source of fiber by Native Americans^[17] to make bows, fire-bows, nets, tie-down straps, hunting nets, fishing lines, bags,^[18] and clothing.^[6] According to Craig Bates of the Yosemite Museum, five stalks of the plant are needed to make one foot of cordage. A large bag used for storing roots would take one to three months to complete.^[19] The stems should be harvested in the fall, after the leaves have fallen and the stalks have turned a deep reddish-brown color. Since cutting the stalks promotes regrowth in the spring, as much as possible should be harvested. Unused stems are traditionally cleared away by burning, which causes the plant to grow back taller and straighter in spring.

Food

The seeds have an edible use as a meal (raw or cooked) when ground into a powder.^[2]

Chewing gum

The plant's latex sap can be squeezed from the plant and allowed to stand overnight to harden into a white gum which can be used (sometimes mixed with clean clay) as chewing gum.^[2]

Phytoremediation

Apocynum cannabinum can be used to sequester lead in its biomass by taking it up from the soil through its roots. This process, called phytoremediation, could help clean sites contaminated with lead.^[20]

Medicinal

It is used in herbal medicine to treat fever and to slow the pulse.^[21] Apocynum cannabinum has been employed by various Native American tribes to treat a wide variety of complaints including rheumatism, coughs, pox, whooping cough, asthma, internal parasites, diarrhea, and to increase lactation.^[2] The root has been used as a tonic, cardiotonic, diaphoretic, diuretic, an emetic (to induce vomiting), and an expectorant.^[21][2] It is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use. The fresh root is medicinally the most active part. A weak tea made from the dried root has been used for cardiac diseases and as a vermifuge (an agent that expels parasitic worms). The milky sap is a folk remedy for genital warts.^[2] However, both illness and deaths have resulted from use as a medicine.^[22]

References

1. ^
2. ^
3. ^ DiTommaso, Antonio; Clements, David R.; Darbyshire, Stephen J.; Dauer, Joseph T. (1 September 2009). "The Biology of Canadian Weeds. 143. Apocynum cannabinum L.". Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 89 (5): 977–992. doi:10.4141/CJPS08103. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
4. ^ POWO (2025). "Apocynum cannabinum L.". 16527-2. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
5. ^ Wenner, Nicholas (11 February 2020). "Native Plants for Textiles: 3 Bast Fibers to Know Beyond Hemp and Flax". fibershed.org
6. ^ Heiser, C.B. (2003). Weeds in My Garden: Observations on Some Misunderstood Plants. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 50. ISBN 0-88192-562-4.
7. ^ Sammaripa, Stella; Arques, Sylvie; Palacios, Sherry; Peacock, Melissa (December 2021). "Qeemu revitalization: a Nez Perces case study (Nez Perce Nation, ID, USA)". AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. 2021. New Orleans: AGU Fall Meeting 2021. Bibcode:2021AGUFMSY45D0805S. Archived 5 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
8. ^ Chesnut, V.K. (1902). "Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California". Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium. 7 (3): 295–408 (p. 407). LCCN 08010527.
9. ^ Sievers, Arthur Frederick (1930). American Medicinal Plants of Commercial Importance. Miscellaneous publication (United States. Department of Agriculture), no. 77. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture. p. 34. OCLC 609486142. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
10. ^ "Apocynum cannabinum L.". 16 July 2025.
11. ^ Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2023). "Apocynum cannabinum search on HOSTS – The Hostplants and Caterpillars Database at the Natural History Museum". nhm.ac.uk. doi:10.5519/havt50xw. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
12. ^ "Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris spp.)". Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
13. ^ De Prins, J. & De Prins, W. (2022). "Marmara apocynella Braun, 1915". Global Taxonomic Database of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera). Archived 5 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
14. ^ "Dogbane Hemp". American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
15. ^ Poisonous Plant Research Staff (26 June 2018). "Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)". Poisonous Plant Research. Logan, Utah: USDA Agricultural Research Service. Archived 2 March 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
16. ^ "Apocynum cannabinum". North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Archived 5 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
17. ^ Coville, F.V. (1897). "Notes on the plants used by the Klamath Indians of Oregon". Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium. 5 (2): 87–108 (p. 103). Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
18. ^ Kalm, Pehr (1772). Travels into North America: containing its natural history, and a circumstantial account of its plantations and agriculture in general, with the civil, ecclesiastical and commercial state of the country, the manners of the inhabitants, and several curious and important remarks on various subjects. Translated by Johann Reinhold Forster. London: T. Lowndes. p. 103. ISBN 9780665515002. OCLC 1083889360
19. ^ "Indian hemp". plants.usda.gov. United States Department of Agriculture.
20. ^ Lasat, M.M. (2000). "Phytoextraction of metals from contaminated soil: a review of plant/soil/metal interaction and assessment of pertinent agronomic issues". Journal of Hazardous Substance Research. 2 (5): 11. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
21. ^ Felter, Harvey (1922). The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Eclectic Medical Publications. ISBN 1888483032.
22. ^ Mulligan, Gerlad A. & Munro, Derek B. (1990). Poisonous Plants of Canada. Ottawa, Canada: Agriculture Canada. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-660-13467-3. OCLC 27770845. Retrieved 16 July 2025.

Further reading

• Blanchan, Neltje (2002). Wild Flowers: An Aid to Knowledge of our Wild Flowers and their Insect Visitors. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
• Davis, A.; Renner, K.; Sprague, C.; Dyer, L.; Mutch, D. (2005) "Integrated Weed Management: One Year's Seeding." Michigan State University Extension Bulletin E-2931. East Lansing, Michigan. Accession Number LTER62246.
• Greenlee, Jack. "Spreading Dogbane". United States Forest Service. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
• Native American Ethnobotany DB: Apocynum cannabinum

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment – Apocynum cannabinum