Common Name: Fly Poison

General Information

Amianthium muscitoxicum is a herbaceous perennial plant producing a cluster of lance-shaped leaves and an unbranched flowering stem up to 120cm tall from an underground bulb about 50mm long and 25mm wide. The bulb divides, forming in time a clump of growth with several flowering stems[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and pesticide.

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant are highly toxic, containing the alkaloids jervine and amianthine[, ]

Botanical References

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Range

Eastern N. America - New York to Florida.

Habitat

Dry or mesic wooded slopes, meadows and savannahs; at elevations from sea level to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Beetles
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a deep rich moisture-retentive soil in partial shade[]. Plants like plenty of moisture in the spring and summer when they are in full growth[]. Grows well in a woodland garden[].

Edible Uses

Medicinal

Native Cherokee used the plant as a dermatological cure for itch[].

Other Uses

Root extracts mixed with molasses or honey have been used as a housefly insecticide[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in spring[]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c, but it can be erratic[]. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be thinned and allow the seedlings to grow on undisturbed for their first year. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure that the plants do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant in late summer, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in a cold frame before planting them out when dormant in late summer.