| Chamaelirium luteum | |
|---|---|
| Inflorescence, as flowers are just beginning to open | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Melanthiaceae |
| Genus: | Chamaelirium |
| Species: | C. luteum |
| Binomial name | |
| Chamaelirium luteum (L.) Gray |
|
Chamaelirium luteum, commonly known as Blazing-Star, Devil's Bit, Fairy Wand, False Unicorn, is a perennial herb native to the eastern United States. It can be found in a variety of habitats, including wet meadows and deciduous woodlands.
Chamaelirium luteum has a basal rosette of around six 8–15 cm leaves, from which a single spike-like raceme inflorescence (1–1.5 cm diameter, 8–30 cm length) emerges. The plants are generally dioecious, with male-biased gender ratios in a given population. This is due to higher mortality of female plants, and the tendency of female plants to flower less frequently. Female stalks tend to be taller, giving a total maximum plant height of about 1.2 m, but also tend to have about ten times fewer flowers.[1]
C. luteum is the only member of its monotypic genus, and is quite rare at the fringes of its range.[2]