Porophyllum filiforme Rydb. (S .F Blake) : Syn. Syn. Porophyllum filifolium Gray, Proc.fl Amer. Acad. 19:35. 1883, not P. filifolium DC, 1836.
Also called : Yerba del venado, Benna dia, Jarilla esbelta marron (slender brown jarilla), slender poreleaf
P.filiforme is one of the less common poreleafs. It is native to areas around Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and San Luis Potosi.
As of 2016 Rebman (etal) states “This very rare native species that occurs mostly in north-eastern Mexico is only known from one historical specimen collected at La Paz”
This species might be confused with P. linaria but can be distinguished by its short, wide phyllaries (1) and filiform (2) leaves. Porophyllum filiforme and P. linaria are sometimes found growing together (Johnson 1969)
According to Estrada (etal 2016) this species of poreleaf is in danger of extinction and it has been estimated that at least 90% of this plants distribution will be affected by climate change as this variety (and many others) as their survival is linked to the critical variables of temperature and seasonal precipitation.
- In botanical terminology, a phyllary, also known an involucral bract or tegule, is a single bract of the involucre of a composite flower. The involucre is the grouping of bracts together. Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one or more whorls immediately below a flower head.
- Filiform = thread-like : Extremely narrow in relation to length (width is negligible), appearing thread-like.
Medicinal Use:
Specimens collected from the Charcas region in San Luis Potosi México in 1934 were called Benna dia. It was noted (Ford 1975) that this plant was used to treat constipation. It could be used as a substitute for castor oil. A decoction was of the herbs was used for its laxative properties which was made by boiling the leaves, stems and flowers in water and was then drunk as a substitute for castor oil.
References
- Estrada, Ana Susana, Ortiz, Enrique, Villasenor, Jose Luis, Espinosa-Garcia, Francisco J : The distribution of cultivated species of Porophyllum (Asteraceae) and their wild relatives under climate change. : Systematics and Biodiversity : Volume 14, 2016 – Issue 6 : Published online: 03 Aug 2016
- Ford, Karen Cowan; (1975) LAS YERBAS DE LA GENTE: A STUDY OF HISPANO-AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS : ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS, MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NO. 60 : ISBN (print) : 978-0-932206-58-9
- Debra R. Hansen, Robert K. Jansen, Rowan F. Sage, José Luis Villaseñor, Beryl B. Simpson “Molecular Phylogeny of Pectis (Tageteae, Asteraceae), a C4 Genus of the Neotropics, and its Sister Genus Porophyllum,” Lundellia, 19(1), 6-38, (1 December 2016)
- Johnson, Roy.R. : Monograph of the Plant Genus Porophyllum (Compositae: Helenieae) : The University of Kansas Science Bulletin : Vol XLVII : No 7. Jan 31, 1969 : pages 225-267
- Sereno Watson (1882-1883). Contributions to American Botany. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 18(), 96–196. doi:10.2307/25138689
- Vázquez-Atanacio MJ, Bautista-Ávila M, Velázquez-González C, Castañeda-Ovando A, González-Cortazar M, Sosa-Gutiérrez CG, Ojeda-Ramírez D. Porophyllum Genus Compounds and Pharmacological Activities: A Review. Scientia Pharmaceutica. 2021; 89(1):7. https://doi.org/10.3390/scipharm89010007
Websites
- http://bdi.conabio.gob.mx/fotoweb/archives/5023-Plantas/Plantas/CGVM0339%20Porophyllum%20filiforme.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5023-Plantas%2F%3Fq%3Dporophyllum%2520filiform
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:208402-2
- http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/glossary/glossary-details/?irn=2272
Masa Americana 
