Oxypolis rigidior

Oxypolis rigidior, known as cowbane, common water dropwort,[1] stiff cowbane,[2] or pig-potato, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family native to eastern North America. It is a perennial wildflower found in wet habitats.[3][4][5] Oxypolis rigidior is poisonous to mammals.

Oxypolis rigidior
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Oxypolis
Species:
O. rigidior
Binomial name
Oxypolis rigidior
(L.) Raf.
Illustration from Britton and Brown, 1913

Description

Oxypolis rigidior is 2–6 foot tall perennial herb of eastern North America. Its leaves are compound, odd-pinnate with 7-11 leaflets, and have variable shape. Umbels of 3 mm white flowers appear August to October. Flat fruits with conspicuous "wings" appear October through November.[5][3]

The variable leaf shape may make identification challenging. Water hemlock, a related very poisonous species, which sometimes even shares the common name "cowbane", is similar, as is the closely related Savanna cowbane (Oxypolis ternata).[5][3]

Taxonomy

Two varieties have been described, O. rigidior var. rigidior and O. rigidior var. ambigua.[5]

Toxicity

Both roots and top parts are reported as poisonous to mammals.[6][7]

Interestingly, however, they are also considered edible and safe by some.[8][9] Thayer calls them Cherokee Swamp Potato in reference to their use in Cherokee cuisine and states that “the tubers can used as a potato-like vegetable…fantastic in any way you’d use a potato”.[9] However, he also states that the plant should be gathered with “great caution” due to its resemblance to another plant, Water Hemlock, which shares the name Cowbane.

References
  1. "Oxypolis rigidior". www.minnesotawildflowers.info. Minnesota Wildflowers. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org.
  3. Peterson, Roger Tory; McKenny, Margaret (1968). A Field Guide to Wildflowers Northeastern and Northcentral North America. New York, NY, USA: Houghton Mifflin. p. 52.
  4. "Oxypolis rigidior (L.) Raf". USDA. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  5. Weakley, Alan S. (May 2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States (PDF). Chapel Hill, NC, USA: The University of North Carolina Herbarium. p. 1236. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  6. Dr. John Hilty. "Cowbane (Oxypolis rigidior)". illinoiswildflowers.info/. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  7. Cowbane at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  8. "BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database". naeb.brit.org. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  9. Thayer, Samuel (2023). Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. United States: Forager’s Harvest. pp. 424–425. ISBN 978-0-9766266-4-0.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.