Dan Teglia- missouriplants.com

Dan Teglia writes, "The flowers only last a day or two. The fruits develop slowly and become ripe around August. The fruit is edible when ripe and can be eaten raw, but it is better when cooked. The leaves, stem, and rhizomes of the plant are toxic. The plant was used by indians to treat parasites, syphilis, jaundice, and other ailments. Recently, synthetics of the plants' substances have been used in cancer research. Some people have allergic reactions to handling the rhizomes as they contain the allergenic compound Podophyllin. "