Prosartes Sp. - Fairybells

Family: Liliaceae - Lily

(above photos) Prosartes hookeri

"Rhizome slender, creeping to ± erect. Stem: erect, branched, scaly below, leafy above, hairs 0 or generally sharp-branched, generally not glandular, some or all falling in age. Leaf: alternate, sessile to ± clasping, (ob)ovate to elliptic, acute to acuminate, base ± oblique, cordate to acute, main veins >=3, converging. Inflorescence: umbel-like, terminal; flowers 1–7, pendent. Flower: perianth parts 6, in 2 whorls, petal-like, free, white to ± green, bases green, generally convex; stamens 6, free, anthers generally < filaments, generally oblong, generally glabrous; ovary superior, chambers (1)3, style slender, stigma entire or 3-lobed. Fruit: berry, orange to red. Seed: white to pale yellow."
"6 species: temperate North America. (Greek: to append, from pendulous ovules of type sp.) [Mesler et al. 2010 Madroño 52:129–135]" ^[Jepson]

Local Species;

1. Prosartes hookeri - Hooker's fairybells ^{[E-flora][TSFTK]}
   • var. oregana
2. Prosartes smithii - Smith's fairybells ^{[E-flora][TSFTK]}
3. Prosartes trachycarpa - Rough-fruited fairybells ^[E-flora]

Habitat/Range

P. hookeri; "Moist to mesic forests in the lowland and montane zones; common in BC south of 55degreeN; E to AB and W MT, ID and NW OR."^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
P. smithii; "Moist forests and streambanks in the lowland zone; rare on S Vancouver Island; S to CA." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
P.trachycarpa; "Moist to dry forests, forest edges, thickets and clearings in the steppe and montane zones; common in BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains and S of 56degreeN; E to MB and S to SD, NM, AZ and OR." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Species Mentioned;

• Fairybells - Disporum species (The fifteen Disporum species grow in temperate North America and eastern Asia. including Fairybell (D. hookeri), Rough-fruited fairybell (D. trachycarpum) and Fairy lantern (D. smithii))[Derig WBOTW]

Hazards

Disporum hooken var. oreganum (S. Wats.); Plant considered poisonous. ·^{[NAEth Moerman]}Disporum Sp; The Klallam considered them poisonous ^{[Derig WBOTW]}

Uses

Most Native Americans did not eat fairybells, though several groups used them for medicine. [Derig WBOTW]

Edible Uses

• Fruit
• The juicy, modestly sweet berries of fairybells are worth nibbling on walks through the woods. [Derig WBOTW]
  
• P. trachycarpum; Fruit - raw[105, 161, 177, 257]. A sweet flavour[212]. The fruit is up to 10mm in diameter and is leathery rather than pulpy[235]. ^[PFAF]
  
• Disporum trachycarpum, D. oreganum - Fairybells; The small flowers have been eaten, but are really too small and pretty to use. The sweet juicy orange berries were a favorite of the Blackfoot people. If they are sufficiently abundant. they can be used in pies and preserves. The berries of most related species are unpleasant, or even mildly toxic. [Tozer UWP]
• Disporum hookeri; Fruit occasionally used for food, but not considered important. (187:121)^{[NAEth Moerman]}

Other Uses

• Love Potion: "The Makah used both fairy bell and fairy lantern as a love potion." [Derig WBOTW]

Medicinal Uses

• Fruit
• Disporum hookeri; Kidney Aid -Fruit used for the kidneys. (21 :28) ^{[NAEth Moerman]}
• Seeds
• P. trachycarpum; The seed has been used to clear foreign objects from the eye. A fresh seed was inserted and the eye closed then rubbed until the seed was watered out with the foreign object clinging to it[257]. The seeds were also placed in the eye overnight and an infusion of the bark used as an eyewash to treat snow-blindness[257]. ^[PFAF]
  
• Leaves
• P. trachycarpum; An infusion of the leaves has been used as a wash for wounds whilst a poultice of the dampened bruised leaves has been applied to bleeding wounds[257]. ^[PFAF]
• Disporum Sp.; An infusion of stems or leaves was used to treat wounds and sore eyes. [Derig WBOTW]
• Root
• Disporum Sp.; Analgesic - Compound decoction of roots taken for internal pains.^{[NAEth Moerman]}
  

Cultivation

"Fairybells grow well in moist, woodland gardens and shady borders in USDA zones 6 to 9. The delicate, drooping flowers are not flamboyant, but the handsome leaves fill in around hosta, ferns, and spring' blooming bulbs. The plants spread slowly, forming colonies." [Derig WBOTW]

P. trachycarpum; Best grown in partial shade in a moist peaty or woodland soil[1, 175]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c[187]. Plants spread well by means of creeping rhizomes when they are grown in a leafy soil[187]. This species is closely related to D. smithii[233].[PFAF]

Wildlife

Syn: Disporum [E-flora]

References

• [E-flora]
• Prosartes hookeri, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Prosartes%20hookeri&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Accessed July 5, 2018
• Prosartes smithii, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Prosartes%20smithii&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Accessed July 5, 2018
• Prosartes trachycarpa, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Prosartes%20trachycarpa&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Accessed July 5, 2018
• [Jepson] 2013. Prosartes, Michael R. Mesler & Robin Bencie, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=69118, accessed on Jan 30 2015
• [PFAF] Accessed March 30, 2015
  • http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Disporum+trachycarpum

Journals of Interest

• Williams, Christine A., et al. "Correlations between leaf flavonoids, taxonomy and plant geography in the genus Disporum." Phytochemistry 34.1 (1993): 197-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)90805-7
• Jeon, Na Ra, et al. "Phytoestrogenic activity of ethanol extract from Korean wild vegetable Disporum uniflorum." Food Science and Biotechnology 19.6 (2010): 1543-1550. DOI: 10.1007/s10068-010-0219-3