red squill

squill

 [skwil]

1. any of various plants of the genus Urginea, especially U. maritima or U. indica.

2. the fleshy inner scales of the bulb of U. maritima or U. indica; a distinction is made between those with white bulbs (white squill) and those with red bulbs (red squill).

red squill

1. a variety of Urginea maritima that has red bulbs.

2. the fleshy inner scales of the bulb of this plant, a source of the cardiac glycoside scilliroside; it can cause convulsions or cardiac arrest and is used as a rodenticide.

white squill

1. a variety of Urginea maritima that has white bulbs.

2. the fleshy inner scales of the bulb of this plant; it contains several cardioactive glycosides.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

red squill

n.

1. A variety of the squill Urginea maritima having reddish bulbs.

2. A powder prepared from the bulbs of this plant and used as a rat poison.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

scilliroside

A potent emetic agent isolated from sea onion (Urginea maritima), once used as a rat poison. Scilliroside production was discontinued worldwide in 1980.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.