1. Spigelia marilandica L. (woodland pinkroot, Indian pink, wormgrass)

Pl. 447 k, l; Map 2030

Plants perennial herbs. Stems 30–70 cm long, erect or ascending, unbranched or few-branched, minutely hairy at and around the nodes. Leaves sessile. Leaf blades mostly 3–12 cm long, the lowermost few pairs often highly reduced, sometimes less than 1 cm long, ovate to lanceolate, broadest toward the base, tapered to a sharply pointed tip (the reduced lowermost ones sometimes blunt or rounded), mostly rounded to truncate at the base, the upper surface glabrous, the undersurface (and the margins) minutely hairy along the main veins. Inflorescences unbranched or few-branched. Calyces 7–13 mm long, the lobes linear, gradually tapered to a sharply pointed tip. Corollas 30–60 mm long, more or less trumpet-shaped, bright red on the outer surface, yellow on the inner surface, the lobes spreading or curved outward, the throat glabrous. Stamens slightly exserted. Pistils notched or 2-lobed at the tip, the style usually shed before the fruit dehisces. Fruits 5–8 mm long, deeply 2-lobed, dehiscing longitudinally between the lobes and along the opposite margins, the valves eventually shed, leaving a shallow cuplike base. Seeds 2.0–2.8 mm in the longest dimension, irregularly rectangular to elliptic or nearly circular in outline, more or less rounded on the dorsal surface, the other sides angular, attached on the ventral side and forming ball-like masses, the surfaces roughened or with small flat irregular tubercles, dark brown, not shiny. 2n=46. June–October.

Scattered in southeastern Missouri and disjunct locally north and west to Franklin and Cooper Counties (southeastern U.S. west to Missouri and Texas). Bottomland forests, mesic upland forests, and banks of streams, spring branches, and rivers; rarely in pastures.

Pinkroot is an attractive perennial that is gaining popularity in wildflower gardens. The beautiful flowers apparently are hummingbird-pollinated (G. K. Rogers, 1986). The species, along with a few others in the genus, also has a long history of medicinal use in the treatment of parasitic worms. G. K. Rogers (1986) warned, however, that poisonous compounds (presumably alkaloids) in the plants can cause delirium, vertigo, speech abnormalities, convulsions, vision problems, pain, spasms, and even death if an overdose is ingested. G. K. Rogers also noted that S. marilandica was disappearing from portions of its range because of overcollecting for medicinal and horticultural purposes. Fortunately, the species is currently being propagated at several native plant nurseries.