The bulbs contain zygadenine, a very toxic steroidal alkaloid. Bulbs of death camas made into flour caused serious illness to members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Unlike the poisonous Zigadenus , the bulbs of both Chlorogalum and Hesperocallis were used for food by the native Indian tribes of southern California. Star lily bulbs contain a very poisonous alkaloid called zygadenine. Chemistry S aponins are a group of glucosides found in several plant species and are characterized by their soap-like property of foaming in a water solution.
Saponins lower the surface tension of aqueous solutions and form colloidal dispersions in water.
When shaken they produce a nonalkaline soap-like froth. The amount of foam produced is a rough indication of the amount of saponins present in the solution. S aponin in powder form has as its active ingredient the triterpenoid component which is used chiefly as a foaming and emulsifying agent. U nlike the cardiac glucosides, saponins do not affect the heart. The toxin acts on the respiratory organs of fish without affecting their edibility.