Lithospermum caroliniense

Lithospermum caroliniense, commonly known as the hairy puccoon or Carolina puccoon or Plains puccoon,^[2] is a flowering plant found in the Midwestern United States and Canadian provinces surrounding the Great Lakes.^[3] The plant grows in sandhills, pine barrens, and dry, sandy woods.^[4]

Lithospermum caroliniense
In Nevada County, Arkansas
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Boraginales
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Lithospermum
Species:	L. caroliniense
Binomial name
Lithospermum caroliniense (Walter ex J.F. Gmel.) MacMill.

Description

Dr. Robert W. Poole and Dr. Patricia Gentili describe the hairy puccoon as follows:^[5]

Flowers large (up to 1 inch in diameter) yellow-orange with 5 petals and basal parts of petals fused into a long corolla tube. Stamens hidden in corolla tube. Flowers arranged in a flat-topped cluster or weakly curled, short sprays. Stem and leaves coarsely hairy. Leaves broadest in the middle, tapering at either end, and outer margin smooth. Plant 1 to 2.5 feet in height.

• 
  Flowers of hairy puccoon at Illinois Beach State Park

Cultivation and uses

To cultivate Lithospermum caroliniense a warm sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained lime-free sandy soil is needed.

A red dye is obtained from the dried or pulverized roots. The powdered root has also been used in the treatment of chest wounds.^[4]