I'm working on a new lecture/walk-and-talk combination. This weekend, I spoke to some fellow herbalists (it was a day of sharing) about an inconspicuous and ubiquitous shrub here in the Sonoran desert, Ambrosia deltoidea... also known as triangle-leaf bursage or just simply burr sage.

Bursage is just about everywhere you step in the desert at this elevation (1200 feet.) If you're out in the desert, you'll probably pass right by it thinking its another plant that's succumbed to the desert drought. Not so. It may look dead, but this little plant who's name means "immortal" will spring back to it's grey-green color with a good rain.

Bursage acts as a nurse plant to many of the more recognizable inhabitants, like the Saguaro cactus. For the first few years, Saguaro and other plants need shelter from the blazing sun, howling wind, and other less pleasant aspects of our desert. Ambrosia provides that shelter, and it's not uncommon to find a nursing species growing underneath just about every Ambrosia shrub you find; if you look hard enough.

The lecture will consist of probably about 10 plants, but focus more on the spiritual and physical aspects of the plant, in an effort to give the students a better understanding about the plant as a companion species on this planet. I'm sure we'll talk medicinal qualities as well, but these aspects will be de-emphasized for this lesson. I really enjoyed this Saturday's talk and am looking forward to expanding the offering of plants.

Lectures, classes, speaking engagements… whatever you want to call it. To date, I've prepared and presented talks on two subjects. They are:

• Beyond the Materia Medica - Medicine in Your Own Back Alley
  
• Living Medicine - Ethnobotany of the Sonoran Desert People
  

The first, Medicine in Your Own Back Alley consists of 15 medicinal plants that can be readily found in the Central Arizona area, many of them in Phoenix proper. This is a "work in progress" that will eventually become a published book. I've selected these plants because they are often neglected in the more popular herbal works. Since it was these plants that drew me into a herbal medicine years ago, I thought it fitting that I'd focus in on them.

The contents are:

1. Aloe vera - Aloe
   
2. Chilopsis linearis - Desert Willow
   
3. Ephedra viridis - Mormon Tea
   
4. Erodium botrys - Storksbill
   
5. Eucalyptus globulus - Eucalyptus
   
6. Juniperus communis - Juniper
   
7. Olneya tesota - Ironwood
   
8. Opuntia phaeacantha - Prickly Pear
   
9. Pinus spp. - Pine
   
10. Rumex hymenosepalus - Canaigre
    
11. Sonchus oleraceus - Phua
    
12. Verbesina encelioides - Anil del Muerto

Those hyperlinked have already been prepared. The working title for that chapter is Learn to Love Those You Hate, as they have each been labeled as " nuisances " by some.

Three plants takes about 20 minutes, there are usually 5-10 minutes of questions… more for larger groups. Pick and chose your plants if you like…

For Living Medicine, Ethnobotany of the Sonoran Desert Peoples, I take a different approach and focus on the indigenous uses of the plants, hence the term ethnobotany in the title. I tend to wait until close to the engagement to determine which plants to bring, as fresh samples have proven helpful to students in the past. I usually spend most of this lecture comparing and contrasting how the plants were used in the past with how we use them today.

Some good candidates that are almost always available are:

1. Larrea Tridentata -Chaparral
   
2. Ephedra viridis - Mormon Tea
   
3. Encelia farinosa - Brittlebush

Want more information, or have a topic you'd like me to cover? Drop me an email.