feverwort

plant

Also known as: Triosteum, horse gentian, wild ipecac

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Related Topics:: Caprifoliaceae; tinker’s weed; wild coffee

See all related content

feverwort, any of the four North American plant species of the genus Triosteum, all coarse perennials belonging to the family Caprifoliaceae. Several other species of the genus are East Asian. The common names feverwort, wild ipecac, and horse gentian resulted from former medicinal uses of the plant. Other names for certain of the plants are tinker’s weed and wild coffee.

The feverworts, reaching over 1 metre (3 feet) in height, have long, paired leaves, dull purplish or orange stalkless flowers, and bright red-orange or yellow-orange berries. The berries contain a few hard, oblong seeds. T. perfoliatum has clasping leaves; T. aurantiacum, T. angustifolium, and T. illinoiense have tapered leaves.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.