Lizard's Tail

Scientific Name(s): Saururus cernuus
Abundance: uncommon
What: roots, leaves
How: tea
Where: moist areas, edge of water.
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: none

Medicinal Summary:
Roots - sedative; pain relief; wound healing (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged alternately along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are heart-shaped (cordate) with a length of approximately 4 to 8 inches and a width of 3 to 6 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is prominently palmate, radiating from the base of the leaf like the fingers of a hand.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is smooth (entire) with no serrations.

Leaf Color: The upper side of the leaves is typically medium to dark green, while the underside may have a paler hue.

Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in a spike-like cluster, known as a raceme, located at the tip of a drooping (cernuus) stem. Each flower is small, with a diameter of about 0.2 to 0.3 inches, and has no distinct petals but rather white to greenish sepals.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually white or cream-colored.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, elongated capsule.

Seed: Seeds are tiny, ovoid, and brown.

Stem: The stems are erect, slender, and may have a reddish tint. They bear the raceme of flowers at the top.

Hairs: The plant is generally hair-free but the flower spikes may feel slightly fuzzy while still immature and green.

Height: Saururus cernuus typically grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet, with the flowering spike extending above the foliage.

Bed of Lizard's Tail plants.
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Close-up of leaf.
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Lizard's Tail flower stalk before flowers develop.
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Lizard's Tail flowerhead and leaves.
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The rhizome roots of Lizard's Tail.
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Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
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North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
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Look for Lizard's Tail lining the banks of shaded Texas ponds beginning in the late winter and lasting until mid-fall. The "tails" show up in late April, blossoms in May, and are gone by July. The root can be gathered any time of year.

It has no edible/nutritional value but its roots have a long history of being used medicinally as a tea, which has both sedative and some pain-relieving properties. A wash made from boiled roots was used as a surface wash for rheumatism. Also, a paste of boiled then mashed roots was applied the sore, chapped breasts of nursing mothers and to heal flesh wounds.


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