Round-lobed Hepatica

Hepatica americana

Foliage Type:

leaf

Arrangement:

simple

Distinguishing features:

Habitats:	dry mesic sites mesic sites wet mesic sites
Often confused with:
Ecological Value:
Did You Know?	A "liver tonic" boom resulted in the consumption of 450,000 pounds of the dried leaves in 1883. Hepatica produce seeds with edible outgrowths called elaisomes. Ants grab seeds by elaisomes to transport. they eat only the elaisomes, leaving the seed to germinate.
Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:	Ojibwe used as a charm to put on traps for fur-bearing animals. Ojibwe used as a cure for vertigo, convulsions, crossed-eyes, coughs and menstral discomfort. American Indians used leaf tea for liver ailments, poor indigestion, and as a laxative externally as a wash for swollen breasts folk tradition tea used for fevers, liver ailments, coughs thought to be mildly astringent, demulcent, diuretic