Nothoscordum bivalve

Nothoscordum bivalve is a perennial herb growing from a bulb about a centimeter wide. It produces one erect stem, or occasionally two. They grow up to tall. In Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions (1896), Nathaniel Lord Britton uses the following description for the species: "Bulb globose, less than 1' in diameter, its coats membranous. Leaves 1/2" - 2 1/2" wide, flat, blunt or acutish, shorter than the scape or equalling it; bracts of the umbel lanceolate, acuminate, membranous, persistent; umbel 6-12-flowered; pedicels filiform, usually unequal, becoming rather rigid and 1' - 2' long in fruit; flowers 5" - 6" long; perianth-segments thin, oblong-lanceolate, acute, longer than the stamens; capsule obovoid or somewhat depressed, obtusely 3-lobed, 2" - 3" high, the style as long or slightly longer." There are one to four narrow leaves up to long. The inflorescence is an umbel of 3 to 6 flowers, or sometimes up to 10. There are two bracts at the base of the umbel. The flower has six whitish tepals, each of which usually has a dark reddish midvein. It can have a faint fragrant scent. The fruit is a capsule. == Taxonomy ==

Nothoscordum bivalve was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum. He used the name Ornithogalum bivalve, placing it as one of the 12 original species in the star-of-Bethlehem genus. Carl Sigismund Kunth described the genus Nothoscordum in 1843. Here, he suggests Linnaeus' O. bivalve could be a synonym for several Nothoscordum species. It wasn't until 1896 that the name Nothoscordum bivalve was used, starting with Nathaniel Lord Britton's Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions. This name is considered superfluous and was never widely used. In Otto Kuntze's controversial 1890s revision of taxonomy, he classified the plant as part of the Allium genus, calling it Allium bivalve. It's also been suggested as part of the Brodiaea, Milla, Tristagma, and Triteleia genuses. == Etymology ==

The genus name, Nothoscordum, means "false garlic" in Greek. Bivalve means "two sides" and refers to the species' two bracts. == Ecology and uses ==

The bulbs can be gathered any time of year and eaten cooked. They possess a faint garlic flavor. According to the USDA, "It is grazed by livestock, but seldom represents a significant percentage of diet due to low productivity." Nothoscordum bivalve is one of the species being investigated as a potential antimicrobial treatment against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It's been reported that the species was used to treat wounds and skin irritation by some Native American tribes in order to prevent infection, and that it could have antimicrobial and astringent properties. However, there are not yet any definitive findings that Nothoscordum bivalve is antimicrobial. ==Gallery==

File:Flowers of Nothoscordum bivalve (Family Amaryllidaceae).jpg|Flowers of Nothoscordum bivalve (Family: Amaryllidaceae). Crowpoison or false garlic. File:Nothoscordum bivalve (Amaryllidaceae).jpg|Nothoscordum bivalve (Familia: Amaryllidaceae). File:Nothoscordum bivalve 1.jpg|Nothoscordum bivalve. File:Nothoscordum bivalve kz01.jpg|Nothoscordum bivalve in Jibou Botanical Garden. ==References==