Tall white squill

Appearance

Tall perennial herb, up to 1 m tall, growing from a large bulb, often half above ground with tough, overlapping fleshy scales. Leaves tough, erect, up to 30 × 3 cm, absent at flowering time. Flowers in a dense terminal raceme, up to 60 cm long, white with a green midline on the outside of the tepals. Flowers opening in the morning, usually closing by midday.

Naming

Synonyms:
Drimia barteri Baker
Drimia paolii Chiov.
Drimia uitenhagensis Eckl.
Idothea altissima (L.f.) Kuntze
Idothea barteri (Baker) Kuntze
Ornithogalum altissimum L.f.
Ornithogalum giganteum Jacq.
Scilla micrantha A.Rich.
Urginavia altissima (L.f.) Speta
Urginavia epigea (R.A.Dyer) Speta
Urginavia micrantha (A.Rich.) Speta
Urginea altissima (L.f.) Baker
Urginea brevipes Baker
Urginea epigea R.A.Dyer
Urginea gigantea (Jacq.) Oyewole
Urginea micrantha (A.Rich.) Solms

Distribution

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, south to Namibia, Botswana, S. Africa.

Habitat

Found in savannah and forest clearings at elevations from sea level to 2,100 metres, often in large colonies.

Uses

Although used medicinally, the bulb is poisonous in anything but small doses.
The bulb can be used in place of the officinal herb medicine Sea squill (Drimia maritima). These uses are:-
Sea squill contains cardiac glycosides which are strongly diuretic and relatively quick-acting. They do not have the same cumulative effect as those present in foxglove (Digitalis spp.). The bulb has been widely used by herbalists, mainly for its effect upon the heart and for its stimulating, expectorant and diuretic properties. The fresh bulb is slightly more active medicinally than the dried bulb, but it also contains a viscid acrid juice that can cause skin inflammations. This is a very poisonous plant and it should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
The dried bulb is cardiotonic, strongly diuretic, emetic when taken in large doses and expectorant. It is used internally in the treatment of bronchitis, bronchitic asthma, whooping cough and oedema and is a potential substitute for foxglove in aiding a failing heart. The bulb is harvested in the autumn, sliced transversally and dried for later use.
Externally, the bulb has been used in the treatment of dandruff and seborrhoea.
The starch from the bulbs is used to stiffen the hair.