Difference between revisions of "Amianthium muscitoxicum"
| Line 45: | Line 45: | ||
===Use by animals=== <!--Herbivory, granivory, insect hosting, etc.--> | ===Use by animals=== <!--Herbivory, granivory, insect hosting, etc.--> | ||
| − | Humans use it to kill flies by taking the pulp from crushed bulbs and mixing it with sugar.<ref name="Ladybird"/> Native Americans would also use ''A. muscitoxicum'' to kill crows and as a severe cure for the itch.<ref name="Witthoft 1947">Witthoft J (1947) Ethnology - An early Cherokee ethnobotanical note. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 37(3):73-75.</ref> | + | Humans use it to kill flies by taking the pulp from crushed bulbs and mixing it with sugar.<ref name="Ladybird"/> Native Americans would also use ''A. muscitoxicum'' to kill crows and as a severe cure for the itch.<ref name="Witthoft 1947">Witthoft J (1947) Ethnology - An early Cherokee ethnobotanical note. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 37(3):73-75.</ref> It is also poisonous to other animals, being capable of killing a sheep within 24 hours of consumption and even killing larger cattle or at least making them sick.<ref name="Marsh et al 1918"/> |
<!--==Diseases and parasites==--> | <!--==Diseases and parasites==--> | ||
Revision as of 09:23, 22 February 2018
| Amianthium muscitoxicum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Photo by Atlas of Florida Plants Database | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants |
| Class: | Liliopsida - Moncots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Liliaceae |
| Genus: | Amianthium |
| Species: | A. muscitoxicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Amianthium muscitoxicum (Walter) A. Gray | |
| |
| Natural range of Amianthium muscitoxicum from USDA NRCS Plants Database. | |
Common Names: fly-poison;[1][2][3] stagger grass; crow poison; fall poison;[3]
Contents
Taxonomic Notes
Synonyms: A. muscaetoxicum;[1] Chrosperma muscaetoxicum; Zigadenus muscitoxicus;[1][2]
Description
Amianthium muscitoxicum is a monoecious perennial forb/herb.[2] It has narrow elongated leaves and reaches lengths of 12-24 in (30-61 cm).[4] However, earlier sources report it reaching heights of 1.5-4 ft (0.46-1.22 m).[3] Flowers are initially white, but turn a bronzy-green, and occur in dense showy racemes. All parts of the plant are poisonous, containing a very toxic alkaloid.[4] In a study, the average fruit set, seeds per fruit, and total seeds per plant ranged from 0.59-0.67, 1.72-2.27, and 16.7-20.7, respectively, depending upon the pollination distance.[5] Fruits are red.[3]
Distribution
This species occurs from southern New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Oklahoma, southward to the Florida panhandle, Mississippi, and Arizona.[1]
Ecology
Habitat
A. muscitoxicum occurs from 5-1,600 m in elevation across a wide variety of mesic to dry forests, pine savannas, sandhills, and meadows.[1] It is reported to grow in Virginia at an elevation of 4,000 ft (1,219 m) and inhabits sandy soils throughout its range.[3] In a North Carolina longleaf pine study, A. muscitoxicum vegetation was present only in disturbed sites.[6]
Phenology
In the Southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States, flowering occurs from May through July and fruiting from July through September.[1]
Seed bank and germination
Despite being present in a North Carolina disturbed longleaf pine habitat, no evidence of its presence in the seed bank was found.[6]
Pollination
The distance of pollinating neighbors has some influence on the production and weight of seeds. However, heterogeneity between plants accounted for a greater amount of variance between seed production and weight.[5]
Use by animals
Humans use it to kill flies by taking the pulp from crushed bulbs and mixing it with sugar.[4] Native Americans would also use A. muscitoxicum to kill crows and as a severe cure for the itch.[7] It is also poisonous to other animals, being capable of killing a sheep within 24 hours of consumption and even killing larger cattle or at least making them sick.[3]
Conservation and Management
Cultivation and restoration
Propagation can be performed by planting seeds when ripe in the spring or through rood divisions.[4]
Photo Gallery
References and notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Weakley AS (2015) Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 USDA NRCS (2016) The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 21 February 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Marsh CD, Clawson AB, Marsh H (1918) Stagger grass (Chrosperma muscaetoxicum) as a poisonous plant. United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin 710:1-14.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Plant database: Amianthium muscitoxicum. (21 February 2018) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. URL: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AMMU
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Redmond AM, Robbins LE, Travis J (1989) The effects of pollination distance on seed production in three populations of Amianthium muscaetoxicum (Liliaceae). Oecologia 79:260-264.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cohen S, Braham R, Sanchez F (2004) Seed bank viability in disturbed longleaf pine sites. Restoration Ecology 12(4):503-515.
- ↑ Witthoft J (1947) Ethnology - An early Cherokee ethnobotanical note. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 37(3):73-75.
