Clintonia borealis

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Redirect2|Bluebead|bluebead lily||list of plants known as bluebead}} {{Speciesbox | name = ''Clintonia borealis'' | image = Clintonia borealis 140615.jpg | image_caption = Growing on Mont Tremblant, Quebec | status = G5 | status_system = TNC | status_ref = <ref name="NatureServe" /> | genus = Clintonia | species = borealis | authority = (Aiton) Raf. | synonyms_ref = <ref name="POWO 30082120-2" /> | synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true | title=Synonymy | ''Clintonia aitonii'' Raf. | ''Clintonia angustifolia'' Raf. | ''Clintonia biflora'' Raf. | ''Clintonia biumbella'' Raf. | ''Clintonia borealis'' f. ''albicarpa'' Killip ex House | ''Clintonia borealis'' f. ''lateralis'' Peck | ''Clintonia ciliata'' Raf. | ''Clintonia falcata'' Raf. | ''Clintonia fulva'' Raf. | ''Clintonia glomerata'' Raf. | ''Clintonia latifolia'' Raf. | ''Clintonia multiflora'' Raf. | ''Clintonia mutans'' Raf. | ''Clintonia nutans'' var. 'dasistema' Raf. | ''Clintonia nutans'' var. 'fascicularis' Raf. | ''Clintonia nutans'' var. 'macrostema' Raf. | ''Clintonia nutans'' var. 'obovata' Raf. | ''Clintonia nutans'' var. 'prolifera' Raf. | ''Clintonia nutans'' var. 'uniflora' Raf. | ''Clintonia ophioglossoides'' Raf. | ''Clintonia triflora'' Raf. | ''Clintonia undulata'' Raf. | ''Convallaria borealis'' (Aiton) Poir. | ''Dracaena borealis'' Aiton | ''Smilacina borealis'' (Aiton) Ker Gawl. }}}}

'''''Clintonia borealis''''' is a species of flowering plant in the lily family. The specific epithet ''borealis'' means "of the north," which alludes to the fact that the species tends to thrive in the boreal forests of eastern Canada and northeastern United States.<ref name="USFS Plant of the Week" /> It is commonly known as '''bluebead''', '''blue bead-lily''', or '''yellow clintonia'''.

==Description==

''Clintonia borealis'' is a small (5–10 in) perennial plant, usually found in homogeneous colonies. At full growth, a shoot has 2–4 clasping and curved, slightly succulent leaves with parallel venation. The flowers are arranged in small umbels at the extremity of a long stalk. They have 6 stamens and 6 yellow tepals (i.e. very similar sepals and petals). In rare cases more than one umbel is found on a shoot or shoots from a clone. The fruits are small luridly blue berries, which are semi-poisonous.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Niering |first1=William A. |author-link1=William Niering| last2=Olmstead |first2=Nancy C. |title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region |year=1985 |orig-year=1979|publisher=Knopf |isbn=0-394-50432-1 |page=597}}</ref> A white-berried form (f. ''albicarpa'') also exists.<ref>Gleason, H. A. & A.J. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (ed. 2) i–910. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx.</ref><ref>Scoggan, H. J. (1978). Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Monocotyledoneae. 2: 93–545. In ''Flora of Canada''. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa.</ref>

The plant reproduces via seed or vegetatively by underground rhizomes. By either method, the plants are slow to spread. One colony often covers several hundred square meters.<ref name="USDA CLBO3" />

<gallery mode=packed heights=160px> File:Clintonia borealis (4639708749).jpg|Flowering in habitat, Mille-Isles, Quebec File:Clintonia borealis - Blue bead lily (4870007793).jpg|Fruiting in habitat, Mille-Isles, Quebec File:Clintonia borealis fruits.JPG|Fruits </gallery>

==Taxonomy==

In 1789, William Aiton described the species ''Dracaena borealis'' Aiton,<ref name="Aiton 1789" /> a name that was to become a synonym for ''Clintonia borealis'' (Aiton) Raf. The latter was first described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1832.<ref name="Rafinesque 1832" /> Rafinesque also described the genus ''Clintonia'' in 1818.<ref>{{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026 |id=30082121-2 |title=''Clintonia'' Raf. |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> The species ''C. borealis'' was previously classified within the genus ''Convallaria''.<ref name="Poiret 1817" />

===Names=== The name ''bluebead'' is used as the common name for ''Clintonia borealis'' by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service,<ref name="USDA CLBO3" /> but the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN) prefers ''yellow clintonia''.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=VASCAN |last2=Acadia University |last3=Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre |last4=University of Toronto Mississauga |last5=University of British Columbia |date=2026 |title=''Clintonia borealis'' (Aiton) Rafinesque - Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN) |url=https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/6513?lang=en |website=Canadensys |language=en-us |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212124008/https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/6513?lang=en |archive-date=12 December 2023 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> Other common names include ''blue bead-lily'' and ''corn-lily''.<ref name="FNA 220003043" /> The term 'bluebead' refers to the plant's quite toxic small blue spherical fruits, a quite striking feature.<ref name="Barker">{{Cite book |last1=Barker |first1=Joan |date=2004 |title=The Encyclopedia of North American Wild Flowers |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofno0000bark |url-access=registration |location=Bath, United Kingdom |publisher=Parragon Publishing |page=167 |isbn=978-1-4054-3035-7 |oclc=56759503 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> Though the name ''corn-lily'' is well known, it is also used as a common name for many other plants.<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|corn lily|access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> (See Corn lily) Likewise, though it is occasionally called ''poisonberry'' or ''snakeberry'' many other species are also known as this.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gillett |first1=John M. |last2=White |first2=David J. |date=1978 |title=Checklist of Vascular Plants of the Ottawa-Hull region, Canada = Liste des plantes vasculaires de la râegion d'Ottawa-Hull, Canada |url=https://archive.org/details/checklistofvascu00gill |url-access=registration |language=en, fr |location=Ottawa, Canada |publisher=National Museum of Natural Sciences, National Museums of Canada |pages=37, 59 |isbn=978-0-660-00091-6 |oclc=7539871 |access-date=9 April 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wallner |first1=Jeff |last2=DiGregorio |first2=Mario |date=1997 |title=New England's Mountain Flowers: a high country heritage |url=https://archive.org/details/newenglandsmount0000wall |url-access=registration |location=Missoula, Montana |publisher=Mountain Press Publishing Co |page=20 |isbn=978-0-87842-337-8 |oclc=36225299 |access-date=9 April 2026}}</ref> (See Poisonberry and Snakeberry) Other names include ''Clinton's lily'',<ref name="Hemmerly 2000" /> ''yellow bead lily'',<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Case |first1=Frederick W. |date=1978 |title=Wild Flowers of the Northeastern States |url=https://archive.org/details/wildflowersofnor0000case |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=McGraw-Hill |page=25 |isbn=978-0-07-046371-4 |oclc=3481317 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> and ''yellow bluebead-lily''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Timothy |date=1999 |title=CRC Ethnobotany Desk Reference |location=Boca Raton, Florida |publisher=CRC Press |page=214 |isbn=978-0-8493-1187-1 |oclc=39765430}}</ref>

Regionally, in the southern United States it is called ''balsam-bell''. In state of New Hampshire it is called ''bear-plum'' and ''Canada-mayflower''. In both Maine and Massachusetts it is ''wild lily-of-the-valley'' and ''dragoness-plant'' and ''heal-all'' in Massachusetts and New Brunswick. The greatest number of common names is in Maine where it is known as ''bear-tongue'', ''bear's corn'', ''calf-corn'', ''dogberry'', ''hound's-tongue'', ''northern-lily'', and ''wild-corn''. Additionally it is ''cow-tongue'' in Maine and New Brunswick.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Coffey |first1=Timothy |date=1994 |title=The History and Folklore of North American Wildflowers |url=https://archive.org/details/historyfolkloreo00coff_0 |url-access=registration |location=Boston, Massachusetts |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |page=302 |isbn=978-0-395-51593-8 |oclc=29797514 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref>

==Distribution==

''Clintonia borealis'' is a wide-ranging species in eastern North America, from Newfoundland and Labrador across New England into the Great Lakes region west to Manitoba and Minnesota.<ref name="POWO 30082120-2" /><ref name="BONAP Clintonia borealis county" /> Its range extends southward into the Appalachian Mountains where it is allopatric with ''C. umbellulata'', that is, the ranges of the two species do not significantly overlap but are immediately adjacent to one another. In the Appalachians, ''C. umbellulata'' prefers hardwood forests less than {{convert|1000|m|feet|0|abbr=on}} while ''C. borealis'' populates coniferous or mixed forests up to {{convert|1600|m|feet|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="FNA 220003043" /><ref name="FNA 242101530" />

''C. borealis'' is globally secure but threatened in Maryland and Tennessee.<ref name="NatureServe" /> It is an endangered species in Ohio and Indiana.<ref name="OH DNR 2018-19" /><ref name="IN DNR 2020-03-09" />

==Ecology==

''Clintonia borealis'' is not found in open spaces, only growing in the shade. It is extremely slow to spread, but established clones can usually survive many later modifications, as long as sunlight remains limited. Whereas crossed pollination is more efficient in producing seeds, self-pollination will still produce seeds, allowing the plant to propagate.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

Like other slow-growing forest plants, such as ''Trillium'' species, ''Clintonia'' is extremely sensitive to grazing by white-tailed deer.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

===Cultivation===

Culture is difficult, due to the need to avoid direct sunlight and the difficulty posed by germination. Transplanting is not recommended.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

==Usage==

===Medicine=== The rhizome contains diosgenin, a saponin steroid with estrogenic effects.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

===Food=== The young leaves of the plant are edible while still only a few inches tall.<ref name="Forever Wild" /> The fruit however, is mildly toxic, and is quite unpleasant tasting.<ref name="USFS Plant of the Week" />

==Folklore==

Hunters in North Quebec were said to have rubbed their traps with the roots because bears are attracted to its odor.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

According to a Mi'kmaq tale, when a grass snake eats a poisonous toad, it slithers in rapid circles around a shoot of the bluebead lily to transfer the poison to the plant.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

==References==

{{Reflist|40em|refs=

<ref name="OH DNR 2018-19">{{cite web |title=Rare Native Ohio Plants: 2018-19 Status List |url=https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/9389b4eb-97a9-4e3e-ab18-19541f731e3e/2018-19+Ohio+Rare+Plants+Status+List+FINAL.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=nfZL7rX |publisher=Ohio Department of Natural Resources |access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="NatureServe">{{cite NatureServe |title=''Clintonia borealis'' |id=2.153238 |access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="BONAP Clintonia borealis county">{{BONAP |species=Clintonia borealis |date=2014 |access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="POWO 30082120-2">{{cite web |title=''Clintonia borealis'' (Aiton) Raf&period;  |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30082120-2 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=5 August 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="IN DNR 2020-03-09">{{cite web |title=Endangered, Threatened, and Extirpated Plants of Indiana |url=http://www.state.in.us/dnr/naturepreserve/files/np-etrplants.pdf |publisher=Indiana Department of Natural Resources |access-date=2 September 2020 |date=2020-03-09 |archive-date=2019-09-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917213003/http://www.state.in.us/dnr/naturepreserve/files/np-etrplants.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="FNA 220003043">{{eFloras |1 |220003043 |Clintonia borealis |volume=26 |last=Utech |first=Frederick H. |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="FNA 242101530">{{eFloras |1 |242101530 |Clintonia umbellulata |volume=26 |last=Utech |first=Frederick H. |access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Hemmerly 2000">{{cite book |last=Hemmerly |first=Thomas Ellsworth |date= 2000 |title=Appalachian Wildflowers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VMI1nXtMuVEC&pg=PA122 |publisher=University of Georgia Press |page=122|isbn=9780820321646 }}</ref>

<ref name="USFS Plant of the Week">{{cite web |title=Bluebead lily (''Clintonia borealis'' (Ait.) Raf.) |url=https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/clintonia_borealis.shtml |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="USDA CLBO3">{{PLANTS |symbol=CLBO3 |taxon=Clintonia borealis |accessdate=2 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Rafinesque 1832">{{cite journal |last1=Rafinesque |first1=Constantine Samuel |title=''Clintonia borealis'' |journal=Atlantic Journal, and Friend of Knowledge |date=1832 |volume=1 |issue=3 |page=120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xA48AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA120 |access-date=4 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Aiton 1789">{{cite journal |last1=Aiton |first1=William |title=''Dracaena borealis'' |journal=Hortus Kewensis |date=1789 |volume=1 |page=454 |location=London |url=http://www.botanicus.org/page/852433 |access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Poiret 1817">{{cite journal |last1=Poiret |first1=J. L. M. |title=''Convallaria borealis'' (Aiton) Poir. |journal=Encyclopédie Méthodique |date=1817 |volume=Supplement, Tome V |page=737 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/782025#page/743/mode/1up |access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Forever Wild">{{cite web |title=Wildflowers of the Adirondacks: Clintonia (''Clintonia borealis'') |url=https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wildflowers-clintonia-clintonia-borealis.html |website=Adirondacks Forever Wild |access-date=4 September 2020}}</ref>

}}

==Bibliography==

* {{cite book |author=Lamoureux, Gisèle |title=Flore printanière |publisher=Fleurbec |year=2002 |isbn=2-920174-15-0}}

==External links==

{{commons and category}} *[http://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Clintonia%20borealis USWildflowers.com]

borealis Category:Flora of Canada Category:Flora of the Northeastern United States Category:Flora of the Great Lakes region Category:Plants described in 1789