FloraFinder.org
Home   About Us   FAQ  
Searching   Image Use Plant Books
x
FloraFinder uses cookies only for correct operation. More info. Okay

Spigelia marilandica (L.) L.

Indian pink, woodland pinkroot

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassAsteridaeA large class that encompasses asters
OrderGentianalesGentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
FamilyLoganiaceaeA family of herbs, shrubs, and trees distinguished by the opposite stipulate leaves and the bilocular superior ovary
GenusSpigeliaDenoting the lobulus spigelii, one of the lobes of the liver. From the Belgian Ad. van der Spiegel (1558-1625).
SpeciesmarilandicaFrom Maryland

About plant names...

Indian pinks are native to the southeastern United States. They favor rich moist woods and thickets.

Plants: 1-2′ (30-60 cm) × 6-18″ (15-45 cm), with wiry, 4-sided stems.

Leaves: Leaves are glossy, opposite, attached directly to stems (sessile), 1-4″ (2.5-10 cm) long, ovate to lanceolate, tapering to a sharp point.

Flowers: Flowers occur in one-sided cymes of upward-facing, trumpet-shaped brilliant red flowers, opening to reveal equally brilliant yellow interiors that form a star shape. They appear at the tops of stems up to 1½′ (45 cm) high, in clusters of 2-10, and the red outer flowers are up to 2″ (5 cm) long.

Fruits: A bivalve capsule, tightly packed with angular seeds.

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones. Contains strychnine. Symptoms include dim vision, vomiting, dilated pupils, twitching of face, culvulsions, paralysis of spinal marrow resulting in death by asphyxiation. Accounts differ significantly on both the poisonous ingredients, symptoms of poisoning, and the level of toxicity.

Online References:

Plants.ces.ncsu.edu

Wikipedia

The Missouri Botanical Garden

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Wikispecies

References:

Multiple Authors, PDR for Herbal Medicines, Thomson Healthcare Inc., 2007, p. 653

Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink, woodland pinkroot)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

 

Spigelia marilandica description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink, woodland pinkroot)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink, woodland pinkroot)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink, woodland pinkroot)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm)

Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink, woodland pinkroot)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 8.7 cm)

Range: Zones 5-9:

About this map...