Toxicoscordion venenosum

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]

For other plants named deathcamas, see deathcamas.

Toxicoscordion venenosum
In Kingston Prairie Preserve, near Stayton, Oregon
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

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]

  • Toxicoscordion venenosum var. gramineum (Rydb.) Brasher
  • Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum – a variety or the solo current species classification[6][7]

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. "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. "FirstVoices- Ktunaxa words". Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  4. Montana Plant Life: Meadow Death-camas Zigadenus venenosus
  5. 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. "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. "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.
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