Plantae > Tracheophyta > Liliopsida > Liliales > Melanthiaceae > Amianthium > Amianthium muscitoxicumAmianthium muscitoxicum (flypoison)Synonyms: Amiantanthus muscaetoxicum; Amianthium macrotox; Amianthium muscaetoxicum; Anthericum subtrigynum; Chrosperma laetum; Chrosperma muscitoxicum; Chrysosperma muscatoxicum (homotypic); Crosperma laeta; Crosperma phalangioides; Endocles laetum; Helonias erythrosperma; Helonias laeta; Leimanthium laetum; Leimanthium pallidum; Melanthium laetum (heterotypic); Melanthium muscaetoxicum; Melanthium muscitoxicum; Melanthium myoctonum; Melanthium phalangioides; Zigadenus muscaetoxicum; Zigadenus muscitoxicum; Zygadenus muscitoxicum Amianthium is a North American genus of perennial plants growing from bulbs. It contains the single known species Amianthium muscitoxicum, known in English as fly poison from a literal translation of the Latin epithet 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 epithet was given to it by Thomas Walter when he published his Flora Caroliniana in 1788. The bulb was mixed with sugar by American colonists to kill flies. |
Lifespan [1] | Perennial | Structure [1] | Herb |
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Name |
IUCN Category |
Area acres |
Location |
Species |
Website |
Climate |
Land Use |
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area National Recreation Area |
V |
120283 |
Kentucky, Tennessee, United States |
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Blue Ridge Parkway National Parkway |
V |
73611 |
North Carolina, Virginia, United States |
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Carolinian-South Atlantic Biosphere Reserve |
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310228 |
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, United States |
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Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory LTER Site Long Term Ecological Research |
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North Carolina, United States |
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Cumberland Gap National Hist. Park National Historical Park |
V |
24282 |
Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, United States |
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
II |
515454 |
North Carolina, Tennessee, United States |
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Hobcaw Barony (North Inlet) National Estuarine Research Reserve |
|
7585 |
South Carolina, United States |
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Horseshoe Bend National Military Park |
V |
1926 |
Alabama, United States |
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Kings Mountain National Military Park |
V |
3925 |
South Carolina, United States |
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Oconee National Forest Botanical Reserve |
|
306 |
Georgia, United States |
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Shenandoah National Park |
II |
108221 |
Virginia, United States |
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Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve |
|
37548505 |
North Carolina, Tennessee, United States |
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Habitat Vegetation Classification |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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