''Spigelia marilandica'', the woodland pinkroot or Indian pink"Spigelia marilandica"
at the Missouri Botanical Garden website. Retrieved 1 January 2023. is a

herbacious Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent wood, woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennial plant, perennials, and nearly all Annual plant, annuals and Biennial plant, biennials. Definition ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

in the

Loganiaceae The Loganiaceae are a family of flowering plants classified in order Gentianales. The family includes up to 13 genera, distributed around the world's tropics. There are not any great morphological characteristics to distinguish these taxa from ot ...

family native to inland areas of the Southeastern and

Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

United States. It flowers in late spring and early summer and tends to be found in low moist woods, ravines, or stream banks in partial or full shade. The flowers are red, erect, tubes with a star-shaped yellow center at the tip.Tony Avent
"Plant Profile: Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink)."
Plants for a Future website. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2023. It will grow high with a spread of . It is used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

, more popular in the UK and Europe than its native US. Its dried roots are used as an

anthelmintic Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them without causing significant damage to the host. They may also ...

(

dewormer Deworming (sometimes known as worming, drenching or dehelmintization) is the giving of an anthelmintic drug (a wormer, dewormer, or drench) to a human or animals to rid them of helminths parasites, such as roundworm, flukes and tapeworm. Pur ...

), and are followed by a saline

aperient Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

to avoid unpleasant side effects and ensure that the toxic root is expelled along with the worms."Spigelia marilandica"
at Plants for a Future website. Retrieved 1 January 2023. The roots are also a

narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

hallucinogen Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mo ...

, but the

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

spigiline, which is largely responsible for both its hallucinogenic and medicinal action, can cause increased heart action, vertigo, convulsions and death if overdosed.

Description

''Spigelia marilandica'' is an upright perennial herbaceous plant growing from 30 to 60 cm in height. Corollas are colored bright red on the outside and yellow to greenish yellow on the inside. ''Spigelia marilandica'' produces flowers in late spring and early summer with sporadic blooms in the fall, and it tends to be found in low moist woods, ravines, or stream banks in partial or full shade. The flowers are red and erect, and has tubes with a star-shaped yellow center at the tip. It will grow 30–61 cm (1–2 ft) high with a spread of 15–46 cm long (0.5–1.5 ft). Leaf proximals 3 or 4 pairs per stem, sessile, blade usually ovate to lanceolate, sometimes elliptic, 4–12 × 1–5 centimeters long, base rounded to cuneate; distals opposite. The seed is found in a two sided capsule, and grouped into balls of 4-7 and are separately spread when ready to be dispersed.

Taxonomy

''Spigelia marilandica'' is closely related to both ''S. alabamensis'' and ''S. gentianoides'' from which it is easily distinguished from the latter two species when in flower by its red and yellow (versus pink) corollas. Various alternate color forms of ''Spigelia marilandica'' have been found throughout its range, including plants with white corollas outside (green inside), and scarlet corollas outside and pink or pink with red stripes inside.

Distribution and habitat

Native to inland areas of the Southeastern and

United States. ''Spigelia marilandica'' is not known to occur in Maryland. Most typically found in moist to dry woodlands and forests, usually on circumneutral soils. Found in South Carolina, southwestern North Carolina, Tennessee and Illinois, Oklahoma, south to Panhandle Florida and Texas; some floras allege its occurrence north to Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, Alabama. ''Spigelia marilandica'' grows in USDA zones 5b-9.

Uses

It is used as an

, more popular in the UK and Europe than its native U.S. It is used to treat hypertension and heart disease. Commercial availability in the plant trade is limited in the U.S., nursery propagation is primarily vegetative. ''Spigelia marilandica'' has medicinal uses, dried roots are used as an

(

), and are followed by a saline

to avoid unpleasant side effects and ensure that the toxic root is expelled along with the worms.

References

External links

Spigelia marilandica
at Missouri Plants website with extensive photos Loganiaceae Flora of the United States Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Gentianales-stub