Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum Linnaeus
Mayapple: https://www.marylandbiodiversity.org/species/1666
Synonyms
May Apple 
Tags

Map Snapshot

2,410 Records

Status

Range is eastern North America. Common throughout Maryland.

Description

A spring ephemeral wildflower, perennial and colonial, with a creeping rhizome. Roots are thick and fibrous. Leaves are large, round, and peltate (umbrella-like). Petioles are stout and stemlike. Nonflowering stems have only a single, terminal leaf, which is 5-9-parted. Flowering stems mostly have a pair of terminal leaves, which are deeply 3-7-parted, and a large, solitary, white flower nods in the fork between the leaves. Fruit is yellow when ripe (in mid-summer).

Where To Find

Rich woods, thickets, well drained floodplain forests, pastures, and various moist, disturbed habitats.

Relationships

Pollinated by bumble bees and other long-tongued bee species. Host to Mayapple Rust. Foliage is bitter and toxic, so this species is only sparingly browsed by White-tailed Deer. Ripe fruit are eaten by mammals, which then disperse seeds.

Citations

No citations linked for this taxon yet.

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Source: Wikipedia

Wikipedia content unavailable for this taxon.