Mayapple makes its biggest impression with its leaves, which resemble umbrellas arising from a single stalk.
Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
Edible
Skin irritating
Other Common Name:
Mandrake; May-Apple; May Apple
Family:
Berberidaceae (barberries)
Description:
On mayapples, only a single flower develops, and only on plants having 2 leaves. The flower arises from the axil of the 2 leaf stems; it is white, with 6–9 waxy, spreading petals and a green, clublike pistil; flowers can be 3 inches across. A rare pink-flowering form exists. Blooms March–May. The leaves are large, to 1 foot wide, with many deep notches to near the middle of the leaf, the segments with coarse teeth, arising from a smooth stem to 1½ feet tall. The fruit is a “may apple,” egg-shaped, to 2 inches long, pale green to yellow, botanically a berry. Plants with only 1 leaf will not flower or fruit; only plants with 2 or 3 leaves form flowers and fruits.
Size:
Height: 1 to 1½ feet.
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Mayapple (Mandrake) (Flower)
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Pink Mayapple
Although mayapples are normally white, a rare pink-flowering form exists.
Habitat and conservation:
Occurs in moist or dry, open woods, ledges of bluffs, sometimes persisting in fields and pastures or on roadsides adjacent to woods. Often found growing in small colonies.
Distribution in Missouri:
Statewide.
Human connections:
The leaves, stems, and roots are poisonous but have medicinal use, with one derivative used as a treatment for cancer. The ripe fruits are edible with a pleasant taste and can be eaten raw or made into beverages, jellies, and preserves. Handling rootstocks can cause dermatitis in some people.
Ecosystem connections:
The closest relatives of mayapple growing in Missouri are shrubs, including the introduced Japanese barberry (an ornamental that escapes cultivation) and two native barberries that are rarely encountered. Details of flower and fruit anatomy reflect plant relationships better than leaves and stems.
Great Places to See Mayapple
About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri
A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!