N. ORD.-HAEMODORACE. 172 
GENUS.—ALETRIS,* LINN. 
SEX. SYST.—HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
ALE TRS 
STAR WORT. 
SYN.—ALETRIS FARINOSA, LINN.; A. ALBA, MICH. 
COM. NAMES.—STAR WORT, STAR ROOT, AGUE ROOT, AGUE GRASS, 
ALOE ROOT, BITTER GRASS, BLACK ROOT, BETTIE GRASS, COLE 
ROOT, CROW CORN, FALSE UNICORN ROOT, UNICORN ROOT,} DEVIL’S 
BIT,t COLIC ROOT,? STAR GRASS,| BLAZING STAR;{ (FR.) ALETRIS 
FARINEUX; (GER.) MEHLIGE ALETRIS. 
A TINCTURE OF THE FRESH ROOT OF ALETRIS FARINOSA, LINN. 
Description.—This prostrate, perennial, spreading herb is characterized as 
follows: Foo cylindrical-tuberous, more or less horizontal, giving off numerous 
fibres from its lower surface. Stem none; Leaves stellate-rosulate, all smooth, flat, 
thin, coriaceous, pale, sessile and lanceolate acute. Jnflorescence in a wand-like, 
crowded raceme terminating a long, nearly naked, terete and rigid scape, that 
arises from the axis of the leaf-cluster; flowers nearly sessile, creamy white ; 
perianth tubular-cylindrical, somewhat campanulate, persistent, and cohering 
below with the base of the ovary; 4m 6 cleft; /odes lanceolate-triangular, some- 
what spreading. Szamens 6, equal; f/amends short, inserted at the base of the 
lobes of the perianth; azthers included, sagittate, introrse. Ovary globular, 
2-celled; ovu/es anatropous; style subulate, 3-cleft at the apex; stigmas small, 
minutely 2-lobed. /7wz¢ an ovate-tapering, coriaceous capsule, enclosed in the 
persistent floral envelope ; dehiscence loculicidal ; carpels 3. Seeds numerous, ovate, 
ribbed ; eméryo minute, roundish, situated near the hilum; a/bumen fleshy and 
oily. 
History and Habitat.—Aletris is indigenous to North America, where it 
frequents the borders of wet, sandy or ery woods from Florida northward, 
especially at the seaboard. 
This plant furnishes one of the many examples of the uncertainty attending © 
the use of vulgarisms in reference to plants, no less than half its common names 
being also used to designate another plant, our Helonias (Chamelirium luteum), 
which it no more resembles than a cucumber does a pumpkin, except mayhap in 
the root when separate from the rest of the plant; the root of Helonias, however, 
* )erpés, Aletris, a female slave, who grinds corn; from the mealy mppestance of the perianth. 
+ The Unicorn is Martynia proboscidea, Glox. (Bignoniacez). 
t The name usually designates Chamelirium luteum, Gray (Liliacez). 
2 More properly a vulgarism of Dzoscorea villosa, Linn. (Dioscoreacez). 
|| This name should only indicate Hypoxys erecta, Linn. (Amyrillidacez). 
: ’ The true wate Bear} is Liatris ——o Willd. ns i 
