top of page

Aletris aurea

Golden colic root (Aletris aurea) is a native herbaceous perennial in the Liliaceae.  The plants are scapose (or nearly so) from short thick rhizomes.  The leaves are simple and oblanceolate to elliptic, with an acute apex and parallel veins; they are mostly basal, with the reduced stem leaves alternate.  The inflorescence is a terminal raceme.  The flowers are perfect and regular, with three sepals, three petals, and six stamens.  The ovary is partially inferior, and the fruit is a capsule with reddish-brown seeds. Another yellow flowered species (Aletris lutea) is found only east of the Mississippi River and a white flowered species (Aletris farinosa) is somewhat rare across the pine regions of the state.  I see many roadsides in this area covered with these yellow flowers right now and a nice population on 399 within 200 yards of Allen Acres. We saw a lot of this in the bog that we visited this past Sunday. A medicinal plant with several uses including colic, I hope.

Aletris aurea flowers.jpg
Aletris aurea basal leaves.jpg
Aletris aurea leaves.jpg
Aletris aurea flowers2.jpg
Aletris aurea flowers3.jpg
bottom of page