Schoenocaulon officinale
(Schltdl. & Cham.) A.Gray ex Benth.
Melianthaceae
Asagraea officinalis (Schltdl. & Cham.) Lindl.
Helonias officinalis (Schltdl. & Cham.) D. Don
Sabadilla officinalis (Schltdl. & Cham.) Standl.
Sabadilla officinarum Brandt
Skoinolon officinale (Schltdl. & Cham.) Farw.
Veratrum luteum L.
Veratrum officinale Schltdl. & Cham.
Common Name:
The white flowering spikes of the plant growing in its native habitat
Photograph by: T. Croat
The white flowering spikes of the plant growing in its native habitat
Photograph by: T. Croat
Flowering spikes
Photograph by: T. Croat
Illustration of the bulb, leaves and flowers
Photograph by: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen
Public domain
General Information
Schoenocaulon officinale is a perennial plant growing up to 1 metre tall from an underground bulb.
The plant is used locally as an insecticide. The seed has been widely used in the past as a means of ridding the body of both internal and external parasites - large quantities of the seeds used to be exported from Venezuela to Europe.
Known Hazards
The seeds contain alkaloids that are poisonous[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
Botanical References
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
Range
S. America - Venezuela. Central America - Costa Rica to Mexico.
Habitat
Brushy or grassy slopes, usually in pine or oak forest, mostly in rather dry and exposed places, sometimes on moist or wet slopes, chiefly at elevations of 500 - 2,000 metres[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Bulb |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
The seeds are 4 - 6 mm. long, wrinkled, black or dark brown outside, whitish within, hard, inodorous, and have an exceedingly acrid, burning taste. They contain veratrin and other alkaloids, and are poisonous[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
]. They formerly constituted an official drug of the British Pharmacopoeia[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
The seeds have emetic-cathartic properties, operating sometimes with great violence, and overdoses produce death. They were formerly used to some extent to expel tapeworms[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
The seeds are the chief ingredients of pulvis Capucinorum, sometimes used in Europe for destruction of vermin in the hair[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
Other Uses
The seeds are used as an insecticide[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. They contain veratrin[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
