Origins: Rich damp woodlands and bogs.
Uses: The boiled corms of this plant were a mainst ay in the diet of the American Indians. Because of the needle-like calcium oxalate crystals, the raw corm is extremely irritating and toxic. The plant has been used as an expectorant, irritant, and diaphoretic.
Toxicity: the raw corm is extremely irritating and toxic.
A guide to medicinal plants of Appalachia/ Krochmal, Arnold; Walter, Russel S.; Doughty, Richard M.: USA: U.S.D.A Forest Service:,1959