P.leucospermum is considered to be a synonym for Porophyllum gracile (1) which is also known as “slender poreleaf”.

1. See Post Porophyllum gracile : Deer Weed for further information on P.gracile.

Other synonyms for P.gracile include

• Porophyllum caesium Greene
• Porophyllum cedrense Rose & Standl. ex Rydb.
• Porophyllum confertum Greene
• Porophyllum confertum var. ochroleucum (Rydb.) I.M. Johnst.
• Porophyllum junciforme Greene
• Porophyllum leucospermum Greene
• Porophyllum nodosum M. E. Jones
• Porophyllum ochroleucum Rydb.
• Porophyllum pinifolium Rydb.
• Porophyllum vaseyi Greene

Porophyllum leucospermum Greene appears in other resources (1) although this nomenclature was not accepted in Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life Naturalis (Roskov 2018) where the plant is cited as Porophyllum gracile.

1. IPNI – The International Plant Names Index, Published In: Leaflets of Botanical Observation and Criticism 2(8): 155. (1911)

Medicinal use

Train & Archer (1941) note that a decoction of the roots of P.leucospermum was used by the Paiute (1) people of Moapa (2) in cases of delayed menstruation. It is also noted in the same text as being an abortifacient (3). This makes some sense as a pregnancy will certainly cause delayed menstruation (for about 9 months no less). Locals informed the researchers that it was also possible to utilize the stems and leaves to create the decoction but this caused “the tea to be very bitter”.

1. Paiute, also spelled Piute, self-name Numa, either of two distinct North American Indian groups that speak languages of the Numic group of the Uto-Aztecan family. The Southern Paiute, who speak Ute, at one time occupied what are now southern Utah, north-western Arizona, southern Nevada, and south-eastern California. The Northern Paiute are related to the Mono of California. They occupied east-central California, western Nevada, and eastern Oregon. A related group, the Bannock, lived with the Shoshone in southern Idaho.
2. The Moapa Band of Paiute Indians of the Moapa River Indian Reservation are a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute, who live in southern Nevada on the Moapa River Indian Reservation. They were in the past called the Moapat and the Nuwuvi.
3. An abortifacient (“that which will cause a miscarriage” from Latin: abortus “miscarriage” and faciens “making”) is a substance that induces abortion. This is a nonspecific term which may refer to any number of substances or medications, ranging from herbs to prescription medications.

References

• Kumar, Dinesh; Kumar, Ajay; Prakash, Om (6 March 2012). “Potential antifertility agents from plants: A comprehensive review”. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 140 (1): 1–32. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.12.039. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 22245754.
• Moerman, Daniel E. (1986) Medicinal Plants of Native America, Vols. 1 and 2 : University of Michigan Press, 1986. ISBN : 0915703092, 9780915703098
• Roskov Y., Ower G., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., DeWalt R.E., Decock W., Nieukerken E. van, Zarucchi J., Penev L., eds. (2019). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2019 Annual Checklist. Digital resource at http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2019. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-884X.
• Train, P., Henrichs, J. R., Archer, W. A., & University of Nevada. (1941). Medicinal uses of plants by Indian tribes of Nevada: Part I -. Washington, D.C: Division of Plant Exploration and Introduction, Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.