''Spigelia marilandica'', the Indian pink"Spigelia marilandica"
at the Missouri Botanical Garden website. Retrieved 1 January 2023. or woodland pinkroot, is a herbacious

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...

in the

Loganiaceae The Loganiaceae are a family of flowering plants classified in order Gentianales. The family includes up to 13 genera, distributed around the world's tropics. There are not any great morphological characteristics to distinguish these taxa from ot ...

family native to inland areas of the

Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

and

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

United States. It flowers in late spring and early summer and tends to be found in low moist woods, ravines, or stream banks in partial or full shade. The flowers are red, erect, tubes with a star-shaped yellow center at the tip.Tony Avent
"Plant Profile: Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink)."
Plants for a Future website. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2023. It will grow high with a spread of . It is used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

, more popular in the UK and Europe than its native U.S. Its dried roots are used as an

anthelmintic Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may ...

( dewormer), and are followed by a saline

aperient Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lub ...

to avoid unpleasant side effects and ensure that the toxic ensure root is expelled along with the worms."Spigelia marilandica"
at Plants for a Future website. Retrieved 1 January 2023. The roots are also a narcotic

hallucinogen Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...

, but the

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

spigiline, which is largely responsible for both its hallucinogenic and medicinal action, can cause increased heart action, vertigo, convulsions and death if overdosed.

References

External links

Spigelia marilandica
at Missouri Plants website with extensive photos Loganiaceae Flora of the United States Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Gentianales-stub