Amianthium

Taxobox
name = "Amianthium"


image_width = 220px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Liliales
familia = Liliaceae / Melanthiaceae
genus = "Amianthium"
genus_authority = A.Gray
species = "A. muscaetoxicum"
binomial = "Amianthium muscaetoxicum"
binomial_authority = A. Gray
synonyms = "Amianthium angustifolium" A.Gray
"Amianthium aspericaule" A.Gray
"Amianthium leimanthoides" A.Gray
"Amianthium macrotox" Raf.
"Amianthium nuttallii" A.Gray
"Amianthium texanum" Gates
[cite web |url=http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do;jsessionid=595CD159F9F5C2F105BAC35D64FBCA83?&find_genus=Amianthium&find_rankToReturn=all&output_format=normal&query_type=by_query |title="Amianthium" |publisher=IPNI]

"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", 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.

References and further reading

*Appalachian Wildflowers by Thomas E. Hemmerly. University of Georgia Press, ISBN 0-8203-2181-8, states that the bulb was mixed with sugar by colonists to kill flies.
* [http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/wildflowers/amianthium_muscitoxicum.html NC State University]