Menodora scabra A. Gray

by Kristina Ayars, Native Plants of Arizona 2009
Common Names: scabrous menodora; rough menodora; rough desert-olive; rough desert olive; rough twinberry; yellow menodora (1).
Family: Oleaceae (2).
Synonomy: Menodora scoparia , Menodora scabra var. glabrescens , Menodora scabra var. longituba , Menodora scabra var. ramosissima , Menodora scabra var. laevis (1).
Etymology: Menodora : from the Greek menos, “force”, and doron, “gift”, may be referring to Menodora helianthemoides as a “giving force” to ungulates that ate the young shoots of the plant; doro can also mean “spear”, referring to the fruit. scabra: from the Latin scabr meaning rough (3).

Identification
Growth Form: Somewhat shrubby, from a stout woody root (4).
Stem: Erect, few to many, 8 to 35 cm high and somewhat scabrous (5, 4).
Leaves: Opposite, 5 to 15 mm long and 2 to 5 mm wide, subsessile, lower leaves ovate to oblong, upper lanceolate (5,4).
Inflorescences/flowers: Calyx glabrous or somewhat scabrous 7-11 linear lobes, 4-5 mm long; corolla bright yellow, tube 4 mm long, lobes ovate about two times the length of the tube.
Fruit: Capsule with 2 round, translucent chambers,side-by-side(6).
Similar Species: This species is easily distinguished from M. spinescens, the only other member of the genus in Arizona by its habit, M. scabra is a perennial herb while M. spinescens is a shrub (5).

Ecology
Life History: Perennial herb (5).
Native/Introduced: Native (1).
Phenology: Blooms April–September (6).
Distribution: On dry mesas and rocky slopes from 1,500 to 7,500 ft., (6) from western Texas to southern Utah, California and northern New Mexico (5); found in all Arizona counties except Greenlee and Santa Cruz (2).

Uses
The Navajo people use this plant for: backbone pain, heartburn, as a “life medicine”, and to facilitate labor. It is also, used as an ornamental (7) and is browsed by wildlife (6).

References
1. University and Jepson Herbaria of the University of California at Berkeley
and Regents of the University of California (2009). Retrieved 10/9/09 from: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?76057
2. Kartesz, J.T.; USDA; NRDS National Plant Data Center. Retrieved on 10/9/09 from: http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch
3. Charters, M.L. “A Dictionary of Botanical and Biographical Etymology” (2009) Retrieved 10/9/09 from: http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pageMA-ME.html
4. Abrams, L.; Ferris, R. An Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford University Press, 1923-[60]. Retrieved 10/9/09 from: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5514753#361
5. McDougall. Seed Plants of Northern Arizona. 1973. Museum of Northern Arizona. Flagstaff, AZ.
6. Orth Epple,A. Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. 1995 . Lew Ann Publishing Company, Mesa, AZ
7. University of Michigan at Dearborn Native American Ethnobotany Retrieved 10/9/09 from: http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl