Amianthium
| Amianthium | |
|---|---|
| File:Amianthiummuscitoxicum.jpg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Liliaceae / Melanthiaceae |
| Genus: | Amianthium A.Gray |
| Species: | A. muscaetoxicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Amianthium muscaetoxicum A. Gray | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Amianthium angustifolium A.Gray | |
Amianthium is a monotypic genus of perennial plants growing from bulbs. It contains the single species Amianthium muscitoxicum, known in English as fly poison from a literal translation of the Latin muscitoxicum, and is noted for its pretty flowers and its toxic alkaloid content. While all parts of the plant are poisonous, the bulb is particularly toxic. The scientific name was given to it by Thomas Walter when he published his Flora Caroliniana in 1788.
The bulb was mixed with sugar by American colonists to kill flies.[2][3]
The toxic alkaloids present in the roots and leaves include jervine and amianthine.[2] Amianthium is self-incompatible and is pollinated mostly by beetles.[2] It is native to eastern North America, as far north as Pennsylvania, west roughly to the Appalachian Mountains (with an additional area in the Ozarks), and south to northern Florida.[2]
The plant is sometimes classified in the genus Zigadenus.[2]
References
- ↑ "Amianthium". IPNI.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Amianthium". Flora of North America.
- ↑ Appalachian Wildflowers by Thomas E. Hemmerly. University of Georgia Press, ISBN 0-8203-2181-8
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