Amianthium

Amianthium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Melanthiaceae
Genus:	Amianthium A.Gray
Species:	A. muscitoxicum
Binomial name
Amianthium muscitoxicum A. Gray
Synonyms[1]
Amianthium angustifolium A.Gray Amianthium aspericaule A.Gray Amianthium leimanthoides A.Gray Amianthium macrotox Raf. Amianthium nuttallii A.Gray Amianthium texanum Gates

Amianthium is a monotypic genus of perennial plants growing from bulbs. It contains the single species Amianthium muscitoxicum, known in English as fly poison from a literal translation of the Latin muscitoxicum, and is noted for its pretty flowers and its toxic alkaloid content. While all parts of the plant are poisonous, the bulb is particularly toxic. The scientific name was given to it by Thomas Walter when he published his Flora Caroliniana in 1788. The epithet is sometimes spelt "muscaetoxicum".

The bulb was mixed with sugar by American colonists to kill flies.^[2][3]

The toxic alkaloids present in the roots and leaves include jervine and amianthine.^[2] Amianthium is self-incompatible and is pollinated mostly by beetles.^[2] It is native to eastern North America, as far north as Pennsylvania, west roughly to the Appalachian Mountains (with an additional area in the Ozarks), and south to northern Florida.^[2]

Within the family Melanthiaceae, Amianthium is a member of the tribe Melanthieae. Molecular phylogenetic studies in the 21st century have resulted in number of changes to placements within this tribe. A. muscitoxicum has sometimes been placed in the genus Zigadenus (as Z. muscitoxicus); however its position as a separate genus has been confirmed.^[4] (See also Phylogeny of Melanthieae.)

References

• NC State University

1. ^ "Amianthium". IPNI. http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do;jsessionid=595CD159F9F5C2F105BAC35D64FBCA83?&find_genus=Amianthium&find_rankToReturn=all&output_format=normal&query_type=by_query. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "Amianthium". Flora of North America. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=101358. 
3. ^ Appalachian Wildflowers by Thomas E. Hemmerly. University of Georgia Press, ISBN 0-8203-2181-8
4. ^ Zomlefer, WB; WS Judd (2002). "Resurrection of Segregates of the Polyphyletic Genus Zigadenus s.l. (Liliales: Melanthiaceae) and Resulting New Combinations". Novon 12 (2): 299–308. doi:10.2307/3392971. JSTOR 3392971.