Aletris, star-grass, or true unicorn root (_Aletris farinosa_, fig.
5) is a native perennial herb of the lily family, found occasionally
on sandy soil throughout the eastern half of the United States; also
frequently occurring in the pine and oak barrens of Alabama and
Tennessee and elsewhere in the South. The root is used medicinally.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.--Aletris (_Aletris farinosa_).]
Aletris is a slow-growing plant which seems to thrive best on a moist
and sandy soil. It may be propagated either by division of the root
stocks or from seeds. The seeds mature late in the summer, and should
be sown soon after ripening, in a well-prepared and protected seed bed.
In the following spring the seedlings may be transplanted to their
permanent situation and set about a foot apart in rows 20 inches or
more apart. The soil about the plants should be stirred frequently and
kept free from weeds.
The root, consisting of a short horizontal rootstock bearing numerous
small rootlets, may be harvested in the fall of the second or third
year. In preparing the root for market the stem and leaves are broken
off and the dirt is removed by shaking (or washing, if necessary),
after which it is well dried. There are no available data on the
probable yield. The prewar prices paid to collectors for aletris
usually ranged from 12 to 25 cents a pound. The prices in June, 1920,
were about 70 cents a pound.