Transcript Clintonia - bYTEBoss

Clintonia
(Clintonia borealis)
Family: Liliaceae (lil-ee-AY-see-ee) – In the Lily
family.
Genus: Clintonia (klin-TOH-nee-uh) – It was
named for De Witt Clinton, 19th century
naturalist and governor of New York State.
Species: borealis (bor-ee-AL-is) – Borealis is from
the Greek, boreios, which means from the
quarter of the North wind or northern.
Alternative Pronunciation: bor-ee-AY-lis
Clintonia
Clintonia is a perennial,
herbaceous, native plant in the
lily family. It can reach 33cm in
height.
Other names for clintonia include:
cow's tongue, blue-bead,
bluebead, bluebead lily, yellow
beadlily, yellow bluebeadlily,
yellow corn-lily, wood lily, blue
bead lily, yellow clintonia,
dogberry, clinton’s lily and
corn-lily.
The common names which include
“bead” come from the round,
bright blue fruit. The tongue
common names comes from the
tongue shaped leaves.
Clintonia
As mentioned, Clintonia is named after DeWitt Clinton
(1769-1828). He was an early naturalist, educator and
historian. He is often referred to as the "Father of the
Erie Canal," because he was one of the prime movers
for the construction of the canal, which connects
Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. He served in the New
York State Legislature and the U.S. Senate, and was
Mayor of New York City and Governor of New York
State. As a naturalist, he discovered a native
American wheat and a new fish, the Salma Otsego.
He authored the "Introductory Discourse" about the
state of scientific knowledge in United States in 1814
and a book on New York history as well as numerous
scientific papers.
Clintonia
This plant has 2 to 5 (usually 3)
basal leaves only. They are
large, erect, shiny, bright green,
basal leaves with parallel veins
typical of the lily family. The
leaves are somewhat stiff and
leathery and entire, finely hairy
on the margins and veins;
elliptic or tongue-shaped,
abruptly pointed at the tip, 8 to
24 cm long. It grows up to 30
cm high
It grows from 18 to 42 cm high.
Clintonia
The pale yellowish flowers, 3
to 8 are arranged in a loose
cluster of two or three at
the tip of an erect leafless
stalk. The flowers are
nodding, bell-shaped,
about 1.5 to 2 cm long,
with three petals and three
sepals (appear to be 6
petals.)
The flowers appear in May
and often last well into
June or early July.
Future location of photo.
Clintonia
Clintonia reproduces by seed and
vegetatively by rhizomes.
The fruit are mildly poisonous to
humans.
They are bright, round, porcelain,
blue berries which ripening by
midsummer.
In Altona Forest, the clintonia is
found in moist, cool areas
usually in the shade of pine and
spruce. Other plants which
share its areas include wild
sarsaparilla, aster, bedstraws,
bracken fern, rose twisted stalk
and violets.
Clintonia
Some interesting facts include:
• Hunters said to have rubbed their traps with the roots because bears are
attracted to the odour.
•
The berries are said to be mildly toxic but the young leaves can be added to a
salad.
•
Some herbalists claim that young leaves taste like cucumber and can be
chopped and added to salads while boiling the leaves for 10 minutes allows
them to be served with butter and seasonings. Older leaves become bitter.
•
Some 1st Nations tribes thought that dogs used the plant to poison there teeth
making there bite lethal. If bitten by such a dog, a person would have to find
the same root to extract the poison.
•
The plant contains diosgenin from which the chemical progesterone is
manufactured. It is anti-inflammatory. 1st Nations people used it to treat
bruises, burns and infections. The root was made into a tonic tea and used for
various ailments including an aid in childbirth. Herbalists have used a poultice,
made from the leaves, on open wounds, burns, ulcers, sores and infections.
1st Nations and pioneers were thought to have crushed the leaves and used
them on the face and hands as a protection from mosquitoes.
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