Narthecium ossifragum

"Bog asphodel" redirects here. For other plants sometimes called bog asphodel, see Narthecium americanum and Narthecium californicum.
Narthecium ossifragum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Dioscoreales
Family: Nartheciaceae
Genus: Narthecium
Species: N. ossifragum
Binomial name
Narthecium ossifragum
(L.) Huds.

Narthecium ossifragum, commonly known as bog asphodel,[1] Lancashire asphodel or bastard asphodel, is a plant of Western Europe, found on wet, boggy moorlands up to about 1000 m in elevation. It produces spikes of bright yellow flowers in summer. The bright orange fruits have been used as a colourant to replace saffron by Shetland Islanders.[2] Despite the plant's English name, it is not particularly closely related to the true asphodels.

The Latin specific name means "bone-breaker", and refers to a traditional belief that eating the plant caused sheep to develop brittle bones. The probable origin of this story is that sheep eating a calcium-poor diet are likely to develop bone weakness, and N. ossifragum favours acidic low-calcium soils.[2]

The plant can cause photosensitisation, a serious skin condition of sheep called alveld, "elf fire", in Norway. It can be relieved by moving stock into shade. Not all stands of the plant are toxic, and the toxicity may be the side effect of the plant's response to a fungal infection.[3][4][5]

It can be found in purple moor grass and rush pastures.

It is tufted, hairless perennial. The leaves are narrow.[6]

Illustrations

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Narthecium ossifragum.

References

  1. ↑ "BSBI List 2007" (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. 1 2 Richard Mabey Flora Britannica
  3. ↑ Handbook of Plant and Fungal Toxicants by J. P. Felix D'Mello
  4. ↑ George B. B. Mitchell, 'Non-parasitic skin diseases of sheep' In Pract., Vol. 10, Issue 2, 69-73, March 1, 1988
  5. ↑ Arne Flåøyen, 'Studies on the aetiology and pathology of alveld'
  6. ↑ Sterry, Paul (2006). Complete British wild flowers. London: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-720469-4.


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