Streptopus amplexifolius
Encyclopedia
Streptopus amplexifolius (White Twisted-stalk, Clasping Twisted-stalk, or Claspleaf Twisted-stalk) is a species of flowering plant
in the family Liliaceae
, native to North America
, Europe and Asia.
It is a herbaceous
perennial plant
growing to 40-100 cm tall, with alternate, oblong-lanceolate leaves
5-14 cm long. The greenish-white flower
s hang from axils on 1-2 cm thin kinked panicles, each flower with four white tepal
s, 9-15 mm long. The plants leaves completely encircle the stem, and the stems have a kink at each leaf axil giving the plants stem a "twisted" and wiry appearance. The plants grow in a creeping habit in moist, dense undergrowth.
The tender young shoots of this plant were eaten by Native Americans as a salad green. The entire plant is sweet with a cucumber-like flavor. The berries are reported to be juicy and sweet, with a cucumber-like flavor. The juice of the berries was used as a soothing treatment for burns by American Indians.
Twisted Stalk has a supercifial resemblance to False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum
), however, Twisted Stalk produces axillary flowers and fruits along the stem, where False Solomons Seal produces a terminal inflorescence. Also False Solomon's Seal is always a single unbranched stem, while Twisted Stalk can be branched at the bottom. Twisted Stalk is easily identified by its large, juicy red berries which grow from each leaf axil and boldly contrast the surrounding foliage, and the berries are highly visible, even in the thickest undergrowth.
When young, Twisted Stalk can bear a frightening resemblance to members of the genus Veratrum
, highly toxic plants of the lily family that are distantly related to Twisted Stalk. This plant should not be consumed unless identification is positive.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the family Liliaceae
Liliaceae
The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
, native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe and Asia.
It is a herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
growing to 40-100 cm tall, with alternate, oblong-lanceolate leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
5-14 cm long. The greenish-white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s hang from axils on 1-2 cm thin kinked panicles, each flower with four white tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s, 9-15 mm long. The plants leaves completely encircle the stem, and the stems have a kink at each leaf axil giving the plants stem a "twisted" and wiry appearance. The plants grow in a creeping habit in moist, dense undergrowth.
Distribution
Twisted Stalk is widely distributed across North America. The plant is most often found near shaded stream banks and in moist thickets of the montane and subalpine zones across most of North America. It is also found in similar locations in Europe and Asia.Uses and Edibility
Twisted Stalk was used as a food plant by Native Americans in Eastern North America and as a medicine. The plant was referred to by early settlers of Eastern and Western North America as "wild cucumber" and as "scoot berries" for the mildly laxative effects of the plants berries if they are eaten in excessive quantities.The tender young shoots of this plant were eaten by Native Americans as a salad green. The entire plant is sweet with a cucumber-like flavor. The berries are reported to be juicy and sweet, with a cucumber-like flavor. The juice of the berries was used as a soothing treatment for burns by American Indians.
Twisted Stalk has a supercifial resemblance to False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum
Maianthemum racemosum
Maianthemum racemosum is a species of flowering plant, native to North America....
), however, Twisted Stalk produces axillary flowers and fruits along the stem, where False Solomons Seal produces a terminal inflorescence. Also False Solomon's Seal is always a single unbranched stem, while Twisted Stalk can be branched at the bottom. Twisted Stalk is easily identified by its large, juicy red berries which grow from each leaf axil and boldly contrast the surrounding foliage, and the berries are highly visible, even in the thickest undergrowth.
When young, Twisted Stalk can bear a frightening resemblance to members of the genus Veratrum
Veratrum
Veratrum is a genus of coarse, highly poisonous perennial herbs of the Melanthiaceae family. In English they are known as the False hellebores or corn lilies. Members of Veratrum are known both in western herbalism and traditional Chinese medicine as toxic herbs to be used with great caution...
, highly toxic plants of the lily family that are distantly related to Twisted Stalk. This plant should not be consumed unless identification is positive.