About Oreocarya suffruticosa (Torr.) Greene
Oreocarya suffruticosa is a flowering plant species in the Boraginaceae family, native to west and central regions of the United States, as well as northern Mexico. It was first published and described by John Torrey in 1827 under the name Myosotis suffruticosa, and Edward Lee Greene later transferred it to the genus Oreocarya in 1887. In past taxonomic treatments, varieties of this species were grouped within several different species of the genus Cryptantha: specifically Cryptantha cinerea, Cryptantha jamesii, and Cryptantha pustulosa. This species is native to 13 U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. In Mexico, it is native to both the northeastern and northwestern parts of the country. Among the Zuni people, the powdered root of Oreocarya suffruticosa var. suffruticosa, which is also known by the synonym Cryptantha cinerea var. jamesii, is used to soothe a sore anus.
