The common names soap plant, soaproot and amole refer to the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Chlorogalum''. They are native to western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, with some species in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

but they are mostly found in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Common names of the genus and several species derive from their use as

soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

. Soap plants are

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

s, with more or less elongated

bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

s, depending on the species. The bulbs can be white or brown, and in most species have a fibrous coat. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are borne on a long central stem, and appear to have six separate petals (not all are

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s in the technical sense). There are six stamens, which are prominent in most species.

Taxonomy

The placement of the genus ''Chlorogalum'' has varied considerably. In the

APG III system The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy being developed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG). Published in 2009, it was superseded in 2016 by a f ...

, followed here, it is placed in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae (), known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. This family includes both ...

, subfamily

Agavoideae Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry-zone types, such as the agaves ...

, based on molecular systematics evidence. The second edition of the Jepson Manual places the genus in Agavaceae (equivalent to the APG III subfamily Agavoideae). Until the 1980s, the genus was generally treated in the Lily family,

Liliaceae The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a fai ...

, in the order

Liliales Liliales is an order (biology), order of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and Angiosperm Phylogeny Web List of systems of plant classification, system, within the lilioid monocots. This order of necessity includ ...

, e.g. the

Flora of North America The ''Flora of North America North of Mexico'' (usually referred to as ''FNA'') is a multivolume work describing the native plants and naturalized plants of North America, including the United States, Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and Greenla ...

, published in 1993 onwards, has ''Chlorogalum'' in Liliaceae. The genus has also been placed in its own family, Chorogalaceae, or in a group within the hyacinth family Hyacinthaceae (now

Scilloideae Scilloideae (named after the genus ''Scilla'', "squill") is a subfamily of bulbous plants within the family ''Asparagaceae''. Scilloideae is sometimes treated as a separate family Hyacinthaceae, named after the genus ''Hyacinth (plant), Hyacinthus ...

), in the order

Asparagales Asparagales (asparagoid lilies) are a diverse order of flowering plants in the monocots. Under the APG IV system of flowering plant classification, Asparagales are the largest order of monocots with 14 families, 1,122 genera, and about 36,00 ...

. In 1999, phylogenetic studies based on molecular evidence, suggested that, along with '' Camassia'', ''Chlorogalum'' seemed to be most closely related to ''

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Many plan ...

'' and '' Anthericum''. The members of the genus with diurnal flowering and a chromosome count of 2''n'' = 60 were placed into their own genus, '' Hooveria'' after

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

molecular research showed that ''Chlorogalum'' was not

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

.Taylor, D.W. and D.J. Keil. 2018
Hooveria, a new genus liberated from Chlorogalum (Agavaceae subf. Chlorogaloideae).
Phytoneuron 2018-67: 1–6. Published 1 October 2018
ISSN 2153-733X
/ref>

Species

Five species are currently classified in the genus.Search for "Chlorogalum", All except the Wavy-leafed Soap Plant, ''Chlorogalum pomeridianum'', have rather restricted distributions, with little overlap. The Wavy-leafed Soap Plant, however, has a range that virtually encompasses those of all other members of the genus, and is the most common of them. Formerly included: * '' Hooveria parviflora'' (S.Watson) D.W.Taylor & D.J.Keil as ''Chlorogalum parviflorum'' * ''

Hooveria purpurea ''Hooveria purpurea'' is a species of flowering plant related to the agaves known by the common name purple amole. This species of Chlorogalum, soap plant is Endemism, endemic to California, where it grows in the Santa Lucia Range, in the Central ...

'' (Brandegee) D.W.Taylor & D.J.Keil as ''Chlorogalum purpureum''

Uses

The fibers surrounding the bulb were widely used, bound together, to make small brushes. Extracts of the bulbs could also be used as a sealant or glue. ;Cleansing At least two of the species are used for detergent properties by Native Americans and early European settlers, specifically the '' C. pomeridianum'' by tribes including

Miwok The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native Americans in the United States, Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok lan ...

, and the '' C. angustifolium'' by the Karuk people . The juices of the bulb contain

saponins Saponins (Latin ''sapon'', 'soap' + ''-in'', 'one of') are bitter-tasting, usually toxic plant-derived secondary metabolites. They are Organic compound, organic chemicals that become foamy when agitated in water and have high Molar mass, molecul ...

that form a lather when mixed with water, making the bulbs useful as a kind of

. This is the origin of several of the plants' common names. It was particularly used for washing hair, since ''C. pomeridianum'' at least was held to be effective against

dandruff Dandruff is a skin condition of the scalp. Symptoms include flaking and sometimes mild itchiness. It can result in social or self-esteem problems. A more severe form of the condition, which includes inflammation of the skin, is known as s ...

.Univ. of Michigan: Species entry in Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database: ''Chlorogalum pomeridianum''
/ref> ;Cuisine The young leaves of certain species can be used as food, but the

saponin Saponins (Latin ''sapon'', 'soap' + ''-in'', 'one of') are bitter-tasting, usually toxic plant-derived secondary metabolites. They are organic chemicals that become foamy when agitated in water and have high molecular weight. They are present ...

s in the bulbs make these poisonous. However saponins are very poorly absorbed by the body and usually pass straight through, and in any case they can be destroyed by thorough cooking. The

and Chumash people roasted and ate the bulbs as a winter food. In February 1847 Patrick Breen of the ill-fated

Donner Party The Donner Party, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California interim government, 1846-1850, California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent ...

recorded that a Native American gave the starving settler some "roots resembling Onions in shape

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

taste some like a sweet potatoe, all full of little tough fibres." Breen's son later called the roots "California soap-root"—almost certainly ''C. pomeridianum''. ;Medicinal The bulbs also had various medicinal uses, both external (for making a poultice to be used as an

antiseptic An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...

, or as a rub in cases of

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...

) and internal (decoctions were used for a range of purposes, including as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics ...

, as a

laxative 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, lubri ...

and against stomachache). ;Fishing Many of California's Native American tribes traditionally used soaproot, or the root of various

yucca ''Yucca'' ( , YUCK-uh) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50 accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as Adam's needle or Spanish-bayon ...

species, as a fish poison. They would pulverize the roots, then mix the powder in water to create a foam, and then add the suds to a stream. This would kill, or incapacitate, the fish, which could be gathered easily from the surface of the water. Among the tribes using this technique were the Lassik, the

Luiseño The Luiseño or Payómkawichum are an Indigenous people of California who, at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century, inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging from the present-day southern part of ...

, and the Mattole.

References

External links

CalFlora Database: genus ''Chlorogalum''Genus ''Chlorogalum'' treatment from the Jepson Manual
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2711207 Agavoideae Asparagaceae genera Flora of California Flora of Oregon Native American history of California Saponaceous plants

Taxonomy

Species

Uses

See also

References

External links