Toxicoscordion venenosum
- Scientific Name: Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum
- Family: Melanthiaceae
- Common Names: death camas, meadow death camas, common death camas, deadly zigadenus.
- Synonyms and Misapplications: Zigadenus venenosus
- Codon: TOXVEN
Contents
Taxonomy
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Subkingdom: | Viridiplantae |
| Phylum: | Tracheophyta |
| Subphylum: | Spermatophytina |
| Class: | Liliopsida |
| Subclass: | Lilidae |
| Order: | Liales |
| Family: | Melanthiaceae |
| Genus: | Toxicoscordion Rydb. |
| Species: | Toxicoscordion venenosum (S. Watson) Rydb. |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
General: Glabrous perennial herb from an onion-like bulb, the simple stem 2-5 dm. tall. Leaves: Leaves mostly basal, linear, keeled, 1-3 dm. long and 3-6 mm. broad; cauline leaves strongly reduced upward. Flowers: Inflorescence a raceme (but sometimes the raceme branched at the base) up to 1.5 dm. long, the flowers all perfect; perianth white to cream-colored, bell-shaped; tepals 6, slightly unequal, the outer 4.5-5 mm. long, short-clawed, the inner about 0.5 mm. longer with a narrower, slightly longer claw; the gland at the base of each tepal yellowish-green, broader than long; stamens 6, about equal to the tepals; styles 3, distinct, 2-3 mm. long. Fruit: Capsule 8-15 mm. long.[2]
Bloom Period
April-July[2]
Distribution
British Columbia to Baja California, east to the Dakotas; var. venenosum more common west of the Cascades in Washington, var. graminaeum common in Eastern WA.[3]
Habitat
Coastal bluffs and prairies, grassy hillsides, and moister areas of shrub-steppe and open pine woodlands[3]
Uses
Medicinal Uses
Traditionally used as a violent emetic, sometimes mixed with blue flag; poultice of mashed roots applied to rheumatism, boils, bruises, sprains, sore legs, burns, swellings, rattlesnake bites, and broken bones to speed healing; mashed roots sometimes used as an arrow poison.[4]
Photo Gallery
In fruit. Photo Ben Legler
Photo Ben Legler
Seedling, courtesy of CNLM
References
- ↑ Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=522732#null
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 WTU Herbarium, Burke Museum, & University of Washington. Retrieved from https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Toxicoscordion%20venenosum%20var.%20venenosum
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hitchcock, C. L., Cronquist, A., Giblin, D., & Legler, B. et al. (2018). Flora of the Pacific Northwest: an illustrated manual. Seattle: University of Washington Press
- ↑ Native American Ethnobotany Database. Retrieved from http://naeb.brit.org/
