Family
Liliaceae
Botanical Name
ALETRIS aurea
Plant Common Name
Colicroot, Golden Colicroot
Special Notice
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
General Description
With a tall, fleeting flower stem carrying bright golden yellow blossoms, the golden colicroot is also ornamental thanks to its foliage rosette. This herbaceous perennial is native to the American Southeast, from the District of Columbia to easternmost Texas and northern Florida. It naturally grows in pinelands, bogs, ditches and prairies.
The leaves arise from the ground to create a basal rosette of attractive light green leaves. Leaf blades are narrow, pointed lances with parallel veins, revealing its common bond to members of the lily family. Depending on climate, flowering occurs from mid-spring to early summer. A thin, upright flowering stem (called a scape) juts up from the rosette center. In the upper third of the scape, tiny oval yellow-gold flowers open from the bottom up in the spike. Each blossom looks warty or mealy and there are six tiny lobes. In fact, the genus name Aletris comes from the Greek word, which means "miller of corn."
Although not usually grown in contrived gardens, conserve a stand of golden colicroot on your property. The plants prosper in moist to wet sandy or loamy soils that are rich in organic matter and non-alkaline in pH. Use this wildflower as a vertical companion to pitcher plants or Venus flytraps in a bog garden.
Compared to the yellow colicroot (Aletris lutea), golden colicroot has a significantly taller flower scape, stouter flower tubes and blooms later. Up until the 19th century, roots of these plants were dug up and used as medicine to treat colic.
Characteristics
-
AHS Heat Zone
10 - 4
-
Plant Type
Perennial
-
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial Shade
-
Height
18"-36" / 45.7cm - 91.4cm
-
Width
10"-16" / 25.4cm - 40.6cm
-
Native To
United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, South-Central United States, Texas
Growing Conditions
-
Soil pH
Acidic
-
Soil Drainage
Poorly Drained
-
Soil type
Loam, Sand
-
Growth Rate
Medium
-
Water Requirements
Average Water
-
Habit
Rosette/Stemless
-
Seasonal Interest
Spring, Summer
Ornamental Features
-
Flower Interest
Insignificant
-
Repeat Bloomer
No
-
Showy Fruit
No
-
Edible Fruit
No
-
Showy Foliage
Yes
-
Evergreen
No
-
Showy Bark
No
Special Characteristics
-
Usage
Bog Garden, Wildflower
-
Sharp or Has Thorns
No
-
Invasive
No
-
Self-Sowing
Yes
