Aletris aurea Walter

Golden Colic Root

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Golden Colic Root is a native herbaceous perennial in the Bog Asphodel family (Nartheciaceae). It occurs in the southern half of Alabama. Golden Colic Root grows in bogs, in wet sandy pine woods, and in seeps. It is a perennial from a short rhizome. The plant is scapose (lacking a leafy stem), and consists of a basal rosette of linear, leathery, grass like leaves. The flowers are produced in a raceme. The flowering stalks are from one to two feet in height. Flowers are campanulate, more than 2 times or less as long as broad, with erect lobes. The tepals (petals and sepals) are golden yellow in color and have a “mealy” surface. The fruit is a capsule. Aletris was the name of a legendary female slave who ground grain into meal. The roughened texture of the tepals is reminiscent of coarsely ground meal and led to the naming of this genus. Aurea is Latin for “golden”. Aletris root is used in herbal medicine to treat stomach problems such as colic, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and upset stomach. Golden Colic Root is difficult to maintain in cultivation, and is rarely offered for sale. It requires full sun and moist soil, but does not like standing water. It can sometimes be cultivated in a bog garden.—A. Diamond

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Native FACW+ (NWPL)

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