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Rare 'unicorn' plant discovered in Maine after 130 year absence

Officials say the Unicorn Root was found this summer on private land in Bowdoin after having last been seen in the state 130 years ago.
Photo courtesy of Maine Natural Areas Program

BOWDOIN (AP) — A showy plant thought to have been long gone from Maine has been found this summer.

Officials say the Unicorn Root was found this summer on private land in Bowdoin after having last been seen in the state 130 years ago.

Unicorn Root features is a tall flowering stalk with white flowers that appear in June through August. It's also known as White Colic-root or Colicroot.

It grows in open, moist, sandy ground and is typically associated with tallgrass prairie habitats and damp, sandy meadows with little to no topsoil.

The last known specimen in Maine was collected near Lewiston in 1887. This summer, about 300 flowering stems were found in Bowdoin.

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