Toxicoscordion venenosum
Toxicoscordion venenosum flowering Black Hills, South Dakota
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Melanthiaceae
Genus: Toxicoscordion
Species:
T. venenosum
Binomial name
Toxicoscordion venenosum
(S.Watson) Rydb.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Zigadenus venenosus S.Watson
  • Toxicoscordion arenicola A.Heller
  • Zigadenus venenosus var. ambiguus M.E.Jones
  • Zigadenus salinus A.Nelson
  • Toxicoscordion salinum (A.Nelson) R.R.Gates
  • Zigadenus diegoensis Davidson
  • Toxicoscordion gramineum (Rydb.) Rydb., syn of var. gramineum
  • Zigadenus venenosus var. gramineus (Rydb.) O.S.Walsh ex M.Peck, syn of var. gramineum
  • Zygadenus venenosus S.Watson, alternate spelling
  • Zygadenus salinus A.Nelson, alternate spelling
  • Zygadenus diegoensis Davidson, alternate spelling
  • Zygadenus gramineus Rydb., alternate spelling, syn of var. gramineum

Toxicoscordion venenosum, with the common names death camas and meadow death camas, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Toxicoscordion, of the Melanthiaceae family. It is native to western North America from New Mexico to Saskatchewan and west to the Pacific Ocean.[2]

The plant is called alapíšaš in Sahaptin,[3] and nupqasaquⱡ ("nup-ka-sa-qush") in Ktunaxa.[3]

Description

Toxicoscordion venenosum grows up to 70 cm tall with long, basal, grass-like leaves. The bulbs are oval and look like onions but do not smell like edible onions of the genus Allium.[4]

The flowers are cream coloured or white and grow in pointed clusters, flowering between April and July. The flower clusters are a raceme (each cluster branches once along the main stalk), unlike its close relative Toxicoscordion paniculatum, in which the flowers are born in a panicle (doubly branched flower stalks). The flowers have three sepals and three petals.[5]

Varieties

Varieties include:[1]

Distribution

The plant is widespread across much of Western Canada, the Western United States, and northern Baja California (México).[1][8][9][10][11] It tends to grow in dry meadows and on dry hillsides as well as sagebrush slopes and montane forests.[8][12][13]

Toxicity

All parts of the plant are poisonous. It is dangerous for humans as well as livestock. Consumption of 2% to 6% of the body weight of the animal is likely to be fatal.[14][12] Along with other alkaloids, zygacine and other toxic esters of zygadenine are the primary neurotoxic alkaloids contributing to the plant's toxicity.[15]

The plant is visited by a specialist mining bee, Andrena astragali, which is possibly the only bee that can tolerate its toxins.[16] Others are fatally poisoned.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Toxicoscordion venenosum", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2012-04-22
  2. ^ "Zigadenus venenosus S. Watson". USDA Plants Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b "FirstVoices- Ktunaxa words". Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  4. ^ Montana Plant Life: Meadow Death-camas Zigadenus venenosus
  5. ^ a b Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 80. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
  6. ^ Calflora Database: Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum (variety of species)
  7. ^ Jepson: Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum (current species classification)
  8. ^ a b "Zigadenus venenosus". Flora of North America. efloras.org. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  9. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  10. ^ Tropicos, specimen listing for Zigadenus venenosus S. Watson
  11. ^ Caflora taxon report, University of California, Toxicoscordion venenosum (S. Watson) Rydb. Meadow deathcamas
  12. ^ a b "Meadow Death-camas". Montana Plant Life. Archived from the original on 2004-08-29. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  13. ^ Turner, Nancy J. (1997). Food Plants of Interior First Peoples. Victoria, British Columbia: University of British Columbia Press. ISBN 0774806060.
  14. ^ Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System: Zigadenus venenosus Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Majak, Walter. "Soil moisture influences low larkspur and death camas alkaloid levels". Journal of Range Management Archives. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  16. ^ Wilson, Joseph S.; Messinger Carril, Olivia J (24 November 2015). The bees in your backyard : a guide to North America's bees. Princeton University Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780691160771.