What is "aletris farinosa"

Unicorn \U"ni*corn\, n. [OE. unicorne, F. unicorne, L. unicornis one-horned, having a single horn; unus one + cornu a horn; cf. L. unicornuus a unicorn. See One, and Horn.]

1. A fabulous animal with one horn; the monoceros; -- often represented in heraldry as a supporter.

2. A two-horned animal of some unknown kind, so called in the Authorized Version of the Scriptures.

   Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow?
   --Job xxxix. 10.

   Note: The unicorn mentioned in the Scripture was probably the urus. See the Note under Reem.

3. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. Any large beetle having a hornlike prominence on the head or prothorax.

   2. The larva of a unicorn moth.

4. (Zo["o]l.) The kamichi; -- called also unicorn bird.

5. (Mil.) A howitzer. [Obs.]

   Fossil unicorn, or Fossil unicorn's horn (Med.), a substance formerly of great repute in medicine; -- named from having been supposed to be the bone or the horn of the unicorn.

   Unicorn fish, Unicorn whale (Zo["o]l.), the narwhal.

   Unicorn moth (Zo["o]l.), a notodontian moth ( C[oe]lodasys unicornis) whose caterpillar has a prominent horn on its back; -- called also unicorn prominent.

   Unicorn root (Bot.), a name of two North American plants, the yellow-flowered colicroot ( Aletris farinosa) and the blazing star ( Cham[ae]lirium luteum). Both are used in medicine.

   Unicorn shell (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of marine gastropods having a prominent spine on the lip of the shell. Most of them belong to the genera Monoceros and Leucozonia.

Blazing \Blaz"ing\, a. Burning with a blaze; as, a blazing fire; blazing torches. --Sir W. Scott. Blazing star.

1. A comet. [Obs.]

2. A brilliant center of attraction.

3. (Bot.) A name given to several plants; as, to Cham[ae]lirium luteum of the Lily family; Liatris squarrosa; and Aletris farinosa, called also colicroot and star grass.

Colicroot \Col"ic*root`\, n. A bitter American herb of the Bloodwort family, with the leaves all radical, and the small yellow or white flowers in a long spike ( Aletris farinosa and Aletris aurea). Called sometimes star grass, blackroot, blazing star, and unicorn root.

Aletris farinosa, called the Unicorn root, crow-corn, white colic-root or white stargrass, is a plant species found across much of the eastern United States. It has also been reported from the southern part of Ontario, Canada. It is known from every state east of the Mississippi River except Vermont, as well as Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Aletris farinosa is a perennial herb spreading by means of underground rhizomes and forming rosettes of leaves. Leaves are narrow, up to 20 cm long, bright yellowish-green. Flowering stalks can be as much as 100 cm tall. Flowers are white, up to 10 mm long. Fruit is a dry capsule tapering at the tip.