Staggerbush
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Slender, deciduous shrub; to 7 feet in height. Leaves thin, oblong to oval. White or pinkish flowers in umbel-like racemes, in clusters on old leafless branches; April to June.
Where Found
Sandy, acid pine thickets. Southern Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York to Florida, eastern Texas to Arkansas.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Benjamin Smith Barton, in his classic Essay Towards a Materia Medica of the United States (1801), wrote that leaf tea was used as wash of “disagreeable ulceration of the feet, which is not uncommon” in the southern states.
Uses
The Cherokee traditionally prepared a tea from the leaves to apply externally for itching and ulcers.
Warning
Poisonous. Produces “staggers” in livestock, hence the common name. Use with medical supervision only
Bibliography
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023