Spigelia marilandica (L.) L.
Indian pink, woodland pinkroot
Indian pinks are native to the southeastern United States.
Plants: 1–2′ ⨉ 6–18″ (30–60 ⨉ 15–45 cm), with wiry, 4-sided stems.
Leaves: Leaves are glossy, opposite, attached directly to stems (sessile), 1–4″ (2.5–10 cm) long, ovate to lanceolate, tapering to a sharp point.
Flowers: Flowers occur in one-sided cymes of upward-facing, trumpet-shaped brilliant red flowers, opening to reveal equally brilliant yellow interiors that form a star shape. They appear at the tops of stems up to 1½′ (45 cm) high, in clusters of 2-10, and the red outer flowers are up to 2″ (5 cm) long.
Fruits: A bivalve capsule, tightly packed with angular seeds.
Habitats: Rich moist woods and thickets.
Edibility: Poisonous 
. Contains strychnine.
Symptoms include dim vision, vomiting, dilated pupils, twitching of face, culvulsions, paralysis of
spinal marrow resulting in death by asphyxiation.
Accounts differ significantly on both the poisonous ingredients, symptoms of poisoning,
and the level of toxicity.
Online References:
References:
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 3″ (11 × 8 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 8.7 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Gentianales | Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others |
| Family | Loganiaceae | A family of herbs, shrubs, and trees distinguished by the opposite stipulate leaves and the bilocular superior ovary |
| Genus | Spigelia | Denoting the lobulus spigelii, one of the lobes of the liver. From the Belgian Ad. van der Spiegel (1558-1625). |
| Species | marilandica | From Maryland |
Spigelia marilandica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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