Aletris farinosa L.

White Colic Root; White Star Grass; Mealy Colic Root

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

White Colic Root is a native herbaceous perennial in the Bog Asphodel family (Nartheciaceae). It occurs throughout Alabama. White Colic Root grows in bogs, in wet sandy pine woods, and in dry upland forests. It is a perennial from a short rhizome. The plant is scapose (lacking a leafy stem), and consists of a basal rosette of linear-lanceolate, leathery leaves. The flowers are produced in a raceme. The flowering stalks are from one to three feet in height. Flowers are cylindrical with spreading lobes. The tepals (petals and sepals) are white or creamy white in color and have a “mealy” surface. The fruit is a capsule. Aletris root is used in herbal medicine to treat stomach problems such as colic, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and upset stomach. 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. White 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 FAC+ (NWPL)

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