STARGRASS COLICROOT

(Aletris farinosa) Lily family



Flowers - Small, oblong-tubular, pure white or yellowish, about

1/4 in. long, set obliquely in a long, wand-like, spiked raceme,

at the end of a slender scape 2 to 3 ft. tall. Perianth somewhat

bell-shaped, 6-pointed, rough or mealy outside; 6 stamens,

inserted below each point; style 3-cleft at tip. (A Southern form

or distinct species (?) has yellower, fragrant flowers.) Leaves:

>From the base, lance-shaped, 2 to 6 in. long, thin, pale

yellowish green, in a spreading cluster.

Preferred Habitat - Dry soil; roadsides; open, grassy, sandy

woods.

Flowering Season - May-July.

Distribution - From Ontario and the Mississippi eastward to the

Atlantic.



Herb gatherers have searched far and wide for this plant's

bitter, fibrous root, because of its supposed medicinal virtues.

What decoctions have not men swallowed from babyhood to old age

to get relief from griping colic! In partial shade, colonies of

the tufted yellow-green leaves send up from the center gradually

lengthening spikes of bloom that may finally attain over a foot

in length. The plant is not unknown in borders of men's gardens.

The Greek word (aletron = meal) from which its generic title is

derived, refers to the rough, granular surface of the little

oblong white flower.