North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Aletris farinosa

Aletris farinosa L.

white colicroot, northern white colic-root, stargrass, mealy colic-root

Image ID: 19272
Image by: Stuart, Will
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: ALFA2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Aletris farinosa
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-02-05

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: ALETR
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Aletris
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Colicroot
GENUS SUMMARY: As circumscribed here (excluding Metanarthecium, following Fuse, Lee, & Tamura 2012), a genus of about 30 species, of e. North America and e. Asia.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Weigant (2002)=X; Ward (1978)=Y; Zomlefer (1997b)=Z; Fuse, Lee, & Tamura (2012); Tamura in Kubitzki (1998a); Sullivan in FNA (2002a).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: NARTHE
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Nartheciaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: E.M. Fries 1846
FAMILY COMMON: Bog-asphodel Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: As circumscribed here (excluding Tofieldiaceae), a family of about 5 genera and 40 species, of e. Asia, e. North America, n. Europe, and the Guyana Shield of n. South America. Reveal & Zomlefer (1998) place the Nartheciaceae in the monotypic order Nartheciales. The molecular phylogenetics of the family has recently been corroborated by Fuse, Lee, & Tamura (2012).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Zomlefer (1997b, 1999); Fuse, Lee, & Tamura (2012); Reveal & Zomlefer (1998); Tamura in Kubitzki (1998a).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Scapose, rhizomatous perennial of pine savannas, pine flatwoods, seepage bogs, mafic fens and barrens, upland woodlands and road banks.
STEMS: Stem an unbranched, mostly naked flowering scape with a few small bracts, rising from the center of a basal rosette.
LEAVES: Leaves spreading-ascending in a basal rosette, lance-shaped, 1 1/2-7 1/2 in. long, yellowish green.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a spike-like raceme occupying the top 4â€“14 in. of the scape, white, Â¼-3/8 in. long, cylindric to urn-shaped, composed of 6 fused petals that at full bloom flare into 6 pointed lobes; there is a slight constriction of the tube just below the lobes, and the tubeâ€™s outer surface is granular-bumpy.
FRUITS: Fruit a beaked, oval capsule containing tiny reddish-brown seeds.
COMMENTS: The similar Aletris obovata has slightly smaller flowers (less than Â¼ in. long) in which the corolla lobes remain closed, giving it a rounded tip; it is restricted to coastal pine savannas at the southern end of our range.
HEIGHT: 1-3.5 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Apr-July

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD: July-Aug.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bogs/pocosins, Disturbed, Pine savannas, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: White colicroot is a perennial herb and member of the lily family that resembles the orchid, nodding ladiesâ€™-tresses (Spiranthes cernua). It has grass-like leaves that are topped by a round stem with a spike-like cluster of small white, urn-shaped flowers. White colicroot spreads by means of underground rhizomes and forms rosettes of leaves. Traditionally, the roots were gathered and used to treat colic.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE: 2, 4
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
21	HORT	2014-08-28	Summer	View
62	HORT	2010-12-01	Poythress	View
251	HORT	2009-07-16	Poythress	View
939	SOS	2017-09-27	Faucette	View
1114	HORT	2006-09-07	Bryan	View
1783	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
1828	HORT	2006-10-01	Bryan	View
1983	HORT	2006-10-01	Walker	View
2136	NPMD	2019-07-05	Touloupas	View
2137	NPMD	2019-07-05	Touloupas	View
2139	NPMD	2019-07-10	Touloupas	View
2146	NPMD	2019-07-24	Touloupas	View
2152	NPMD	2019-07-29	Touloupas	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
19	2018-0005	2018-01-08	21	View
59	2013-0002	2013-01-09	62	View
248	2011-0088	2011-05-04	251	View
1855	1986-1636			View
2252	1986-2075			View
5931	1995-1060			View
9276	2007-0200	2007-10-23	1983	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
20	19	17	Liloia	2016-03-00	View
21	19	16	Liloia	2016-03-00	View
22	19	18	Liloia	2016-03-00	View
76	59	31	Mixon	2012-01-08	View
77	59	64	Liloia	2013-06-14	View
78	59	40	Mixon	2012-01-08	View
110	59	48	Mixon	2013-08-01	View
573	248	14	Liloia	2011-04-29	View
575	248	16	Liloia	2011-11-20	View
577	248	40	Mixon	2012-01-09	View
2947	1855	64	NCBG staff	1984-03-11	View
3919	2252	81	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
8487	5931	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
12406	9276	63	Liloia	2009-03-19	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: ALFA2
USDA Common Name: White Colicroot
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV), CAN (ON)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC		FAC		FAC	FAC		FAC	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Aletris farinosa
COMMON NAME: Northern White Colic-root, Mealy Colic-root, Stargrass
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, GW, K, Pa, RAB, S, Tn, Va, W, WH3, X, Z]
PHENOLOGY: Late Apr-early Jun; Jul-Aug.
HABITAT: Pine savannas, pine flatwoods, seepage bogs, mafic fens and barrens, upland woodlands, roadbanks.
COMMENTS: S. ME, s. ON, and se. MN south to s. GA, FL (Wunderlin & Hansen 2011), LA, and TX, the only species of the genus not restricted (or nearly so) to the Coastal Plain.
RANGE MAP: Aletris farinosa.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Nartheciaceae E.M. Fries 1846 (Bog-asphodel Family)
SUMMARY: As circumscribed here (excluding Tofieldiaceae), a family of about 5 genera and 40 species, of e. Asia, e. North America, n. Europe, and the Guyana Shield of n. South America. Reveal & Zomlefer (1998) place the Nartheciaceae in the monotypic order Nartheciales. The molecular phylogenetics of the family has recently been corroborated by Fuse, Lee, & Tamura (2012).
REFERENCE: Zomlefer (1997b, 1999); Fuse, Lee, & Tamura (2012); Reveal & Zomlefer (1998); Tamura in Kubitzki (1998a).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Aletris L. (Colicroot)
SUMMARY: As circumscribed here (excluding Metanarthecium, following Fuse, Lee, & Tamura 2012), a genus of about 30 species, of e. North America and e. Asia.
REFERENCE: Weigant (2002)=X; Ward (1978)=Y; Zomlefer (1997b)=Z; Fuse, Lee, & Tamura (2012); Tamura in Kubitzki (1998a); Sullivan in FNA (2002a).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Aletris farinosa in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Aletris farinosa in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Aletris farinosa in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Aletris farinosa in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Aletris farinosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Aletris farinosa

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 19272 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 19273 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 23821 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)