Posted by
SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Feb 9, 2012 7:14 AM concerning plant:
Mayapple is a common wildflower of good woodland soil throughout the eastern two-thirds of North America. In early spring, solitary stems poke up from the soil like thick fingers. These gradually lengthen and then unfurl exposing two 12" wide, umbrella-like, glossy green leaves, first drooping and protective, then held flat outright. Older plants will have a single large white nodding flower where the two leaf petioles fork. The flowers are hard to see beneath the leaves and are short-lived. Successful pollination results in red berries, which is the apple, in early summer. Then the plant heads back underground until next spring. But while it is up, mayapple will cover quite a bit of ground in time; it's leaves so dense and wide-spreading that it appears as a solid ground cover. (Sunlight Gardens)
Posted by
mellielong (Lutz, Florida - Zone 9b) on Apr 10, 2015 3:45 PM concerning plant:
"How to Know the Wildflowers" (1922) by Mrs. William Starr Dana tells us that the flowers of this plant are "unpleasantly odoriferous". The author also notes that the fruit, which ripens in July, has been called "wild lemon" in some areas on account of its shape. She further states that it was valued by the Indians for medicinal purposes. However, she also states that the "leaves and roots are poisonous if taken internally, and are said to have been used as a pot herb, with fatal results." Still, she says an extract from the plant has been used in medicine.
Posted by
Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 25, 2014 6:06 AM concerning plant:
Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) is a woodland wildflower native to eastern North America. Its white blossoms serve as an important source of nectar for early-emerging bees in the springtime, and it is a larval host plant for the Variegated Fritillary Butterfly. Its flowers give way to a greenish fruit in the summer which can be used to make jellies and preserves. Mayapple spreads by both rhizomes and self-seeding and can form colonies when left to spread. The plant usually goes dormant by midsummer.
Posted by
Sharon (Calvert City, KY - Zone 7a) on Sep 26, 2011 11:45 PM concerning plant:
The Mayapple was used by the Native Americans and very early herbalists as a medicinal plant, though not internally because the plant is toxic.
