Aletris

• Authority

  Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

• Family

  Nartheciaceae

• Scientific Name

  Aletris

• Description

  Genus Description - Fls perfect; perianth tubular to campanulate, 6-lobed, adnate to the lower part of the ovary; stamens 6; filaments short, inserted at the top of the perianth-tube; anthers linear, introrse; style straight, barely 3-lobed, with minute stigmas; fr a loculicidal capsule enclosed by the persistent, withered perianth; seeds numerous, minute, fusiform; perennial herbs from a short, stout, praemorse rhizome or a mere crown, with a basal rosette of narrow lvs, an erect stem bearing bract-like lvs, and a terminal spike-like raceme; perianth roughened with numerous short, scale-like points, giving it a mealy appearance. 25, N. Amer. and e. Asia.

• Common Names

  colic-root