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Toxicoscordion venenosum, with the common names death camas and meadow death camas, is a species of flowering plants in the genus Toxicoscordion, of the Melanthiaceae family. It is native to western North America.

Toxicoscordion venenosum
In Kingston Prairie Preserve, near Stayton, Oregon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Melanthiaceae
Genus:	Toxicoscordion
Species:	T. venenosum
Binomial name
Toxicoscordion venenosum (S.Watson) Rydb.[1]
Synonyms[1]
Zigadenus venenosus S.Watson Toxicoscordion arenicola A.Heller Zigadenus venenosus var. ambiguus M.E.Jones Zigadenus salinus A.Nelson Toxicoscordion salinum (A.Nelson) R.R.Gates Zigadenus diegoensis Davidson Toxicoscordion gramineum (Rydb.) Rydb., syn of var. gramineum Zigadenus venenosus var. gramineus (Rydb.) O.S.Walsh ex M.Peck, syn of var. gramineum Zygadenus venenosus S.Watson, alternate spelling Zygadenus salinus A.Nelson, alternate spelling Zygadenus diegoensis Davidson, alternate spelling Zygadenus gramineus Rydb., alternate spelling, syn of var. gramineum

The plant is called alapíšaš in Sahaptin,[2] and nupqasaquⱡ ("nup-ka-sa-qush") in Ktunaxa.[2]

Description

Toxicoscordion venenosum grows up to 70 cm tall with long, basal, grass-like leaves. The bulbs are oval and look like onions but do not smell like edible onions of the genus Allium.[3]

The flowers are cream coloured or white and grow in pointed clusters, flowering between April and July. The flower clusters are a raceme (each cluster branches once along the main stalk), unlike its close relative Toxicoscordion paniculatum, in which the flowers are born in a panicle (doubly branched flower stalks). The flowers have three sepals and three petals.[4]

Varieties

Varieties include:[1]

• Toxicoscordion venenosum var. gramineum (Rydb.) Brasher
• Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum – a variety or the solo current species classification[5][6]

Distribution

The plant is widespread across much of Western Canada, the Western United States, and northern Baja California (México).[1][7][8][9][10] They tend to grow in dry meadows and on dry hillsides as well as sagebrush slopes and montane forests.[7][11][12]

Toxicity

All parts of the plant are poisonous. It is dangerous for humans as well as livestock. Consumption of 2% to 6% of the body weight of the animal is likely to be fatal.[13][11] Along with other alkaloids, zygacine and other toxic esters of zygadenine are the primary neurotoxic alkaloids contributing to the plant's toxicity.[14]

The plant is visited by a specialist mining bee, Andrena astragali, which is possibly the only bee that can tolerate its toxins.[15] Others are fatally poisoned.[4]

• 
  Kingston Prairie Preserve
• 
  University of California Botanical Garden
• 
  William O. Douglas Wilderness
• 
  Washington Park (Anacortes)

References

External links

• Calflora Database: Toxicoscordion venenosum (Meadow deathcamas)
• Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum
• USDA Plants Profile for Zigadenus venenosus var. venenosus (meadow deathcamas)
• Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center: Zigadenus venenosus (Meadow death camas, death camas)
• Turner Photographics, Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest: Zigadenus venenosus (Meadow death camas)
• UC Photos gallery — Toxicoscordion venenosum

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