Contractions. - Helon. Hln.

Nat. ord., Melanthaceae.

Synonyms. - Melanthium dioicum, Veratrum luteum, Chamaelirium luteum.

Fig. - Linne, Amoenit., tab. 1, fig. 1.

False Unicorn, Blazing Star.

Habitat. - In woodlands, meadows, and moist situations, in the United States.

Flowering time. - June and July.

Part employed. - The root.

Characters. - An herbaceous perennial, with a large, somewhat bulbous, very hard, transversely wrinkled, premorse root, from which arises a simple, very smooth, somewhat angular stem or scape, 1 or 2 feet in height. The cauline leaves are lanceolate, acute, small, and at some distance from each other, without petioles; the radical leaves are broader, being from 4 to 8 inches in length by half an inch to an inch in width, narrow at the base, and formed into a sort of whorl at the base of the scape. The flowers are small, very numerous, greenish-white, and are disposed in long, terminal, spicate, nodding, dioecious racemes, resembling a plume, and which are more slender and weak on the barren plants.

Male flowers with white, linear-spatulate, obtuse, one-nerved petals; 6tamens rather longer than the petals. Female flowers, the raceme is generally few-flowered, becoming erect; petals linear; stamens very short, abortive; ovary ovate, sub-triangular, with the sides deeply furrowed; stigmas 3, spreading or reflexed. Capsule ovate-oblong, tapering to the base, three-furrowed, opening at the summit. Seeds many in each cell, acute compressed.

The plant is sometimes confounded with Aletris Farinosa.

Time for collecting. - At the commencement of flowering, and when the leaves are dying down.

Preparation. - Tincture, corresponding in alcoholic strength with proof spirit. Trituration of Helonin.

Reference to Horn. Proving. - Hale's New Remedies.

Proper forms for dispensing. - φ and lx, Tincture only. 1 and upwards, Tincture, Pilules, or Globules.