Common Name: Unicorn Root

General Information

Aletris farinosa is a herbaceous, perennial plant with a spreading, rhizomatous rootstock. The plant produces a dense, basal rosette of leaves that can be 4 - 20cm long and a flowering stem 40 - 100cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, and perhaps sometimes as a food. The plant is traded for medicinal use and is also sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

The fresh root is mildly poisonous[].

Botanical References

, ,

Range

South-eastern N. America - Southern Maine to Florida, west to Texas and Wisconsin.

Habitat

Grassy or sandy woodlands; dry or moist peats; sands and gravels, especially on the seashore[, , ]. Open sites of various habitats, moist bogs, dry to mesic prairies, and dry, upland woods and thickets; at elevations up to 2,000 metres or more[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants are hardy to between -10 and -15°c[].
Species in this genus generally grow well in a sunny position in a moderately fertile, well-drained soil[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - cooked[, , ]. Intensely bitter[]. A bitter-sweet soapy taste[]. Some caution is advised - see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal

The greatest value of unicorn root is its tonic influence on the female generative organs, proving to be of great use in treating cases of habitual miscarriages[]. It also promotes the appetite and is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, rheumatism and jaundice[].
The root is bitter, diuretic, narcotic and tonic[, , , ]. Only use the dried rootstock[], in large doses the fresh root is somewhat narcotic, emetic and cathartic[]. A decoction of the root is a bitter tonic and has been used for expelling flatulence and for various uterine disorders[, ]. It is used in the treatment of colic, though small doses, especially of the fresh root[], can cause hypogastric colic[]. The root is harvested in late summer after flowering and dried for later use[].
The root contains diosgenin, which has both anti-inflammatory and oestrogenic properties[].

A tea of the leaves has been used in the treatment of colic, stomach disorders, dysentery and bloody dysentery[, ].

The plant is used in homeopathy. An anæmic, relaxed condition, especially of the female organism, is portrayed by this remedy. The patient is tired all the time, and suffers from prolapsus, leucorrhoea, rectal distress, etc[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. Sow the seed thinly to allow the seedlings to be grown on for their first year without potting them up, but give a liquid feed from time to time to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Prick the young plants out into individual pots the following spring and grow them on in the greenhouse for the next winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in spring.