PLANTS FURNISHING ROOT DRUGS. 17 



CHAMAKLIIULIM, OK IIELOXIAS. 



Chaiiiaclirium luteum (L.) A. Gray. 



Hynonym. — Helonian dloicn I'ursh. 



Other cominmi iianirs. — rnicorn-root, false uuicorn-root, blaziiigstar, drooping 

 starwort, starwort, devil's-bit, uniconi's-horn. 



In order to avoid the existing confusion of common names of this phint, it is 

 most desirable to use the scientific names Chamaelirium or Helonias exclu- 

 sively. Chaniaeliriuui is the most recent botanical designation and will be used 

 throughout this article, but the synonym Helonias is a name very frequently 

 employed by the drug trade. The plant with which it is so much confused, 

 Aletris farinosa, will also be designated throughout by its generic name, Aletris. 



Hahitat uiid raiu/e. — This native plant is found in open woods from Massa- 

 chusetts to Michigan, south to Florida and Arkansas. 



Description of plant. — Chamaelirium and Aletris {Aletris farinosa) have long 

 been confused by drug collectors and others, owing undoubtedly to the trans- 

 position of some of their similar common names, such as "starwort" and 

 " stargrass." The plants can scarcely be said to resemble each other, however, 

 except perhaps in their general habit of growth. (See PI. II, figs. 1 and 2.) 



The male and female flowers of Chamaelirium are borne on separate plants, 

 and in this respect are entirely different from Aletris ; neither do the flowers 

 resemble those of Aletris. 



Chamaelirium is an erect, somewhat fleshy herb, perennial, and belongs to 

 the bunchflower family (MelanthiaceaO- The male plant grows to a height 

 of from lA to 2i feet, and the female plant is sometimes 4 feet tall and is also 

 more leafy. 



The plants have both basal and stem leaves, whereas Aletris has only the 

 basal leaves. The basal leaves of Chamaelirium are broad and blunt at the 

 top, narrowing toward the base into a long stem ; they are sometimes so much 

 broadened at the top that they may be characterized as spoon shaped, and are 

 from 2 to 8 inches long and from one-half to 1^ inches wide. The stem leaves 

 are lance shaped and sharp pointed, on short stems or stemless. (PI. II, fig. 1.) 



The white starry flowers of Chamaelirium are produced from Jmie to July, 

 those of the male plant being borne in nodding, graceful, plumelike spikes 3 to 

 9 inches long (PI. II, fig. 1) and those of the female plant in erect spikes. 

 The many-seeded capsule is oblong, opening by three valves at the apex. 



Another species is now recognized, Chainneiirium obovale Small, which seems 

 to differ chiefly in having larger flowers and oboy^^i^ capsules. 



Description of rootstock. — The I'ootstock of Chamaelirium does not in the 

 least resemble that of Aletris, with which it is so generally confused. It is from 

 one-half to 2 inches in length, generally curved upward at one end in the form 

 of a horn (whence the common name, "unicorn") and having the appearance 

 of having been bitten oft. (PI. II, fig. 1.) It is of a dark-brown color, with 

 fine transverse wrinkles, rough, on the upper surface showing a few stem scars, 

 and giving off from all sides numerous brown fibrous rootlets. The more recent 

 rootlets have a soft outer covering, which in the older rootlets has worn away, 

 leaving the fine but tough and w^oody whitish center. The rootlets penetrate 

 to the central part of the rootstock, and this serves as a distinguishing character 

 from Aletris, as a transverse section of Chamaelirium very plainly shows these 

 fibers extending some" distance within the rootstock. Furthermore, the I'oot- 

 stock of Chamaelirium exhibits a number of small holes wherever these rootlets 



3519— No. 107—07 M 2 



