Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Mayapples

This time of year I look along the sides of the roads for patches of mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum), shy, 2-inch white blossoms that hide under their large (sometimes 12 inches across) umbrella-like leaves. The day I took these photos it had just finished raining. I’d spotted the leaves the week before, but the flowers were only buds then. So I had to go back.
You can see the leaves of mayapples at a distance. They tend to grow like carpets under deciduous trees, though sometimes they grow in fields. To see the blooms, you actually have to lift up the foliage.

Each plant has one or two deeply cut leaves on a 15-inch tall stalk. Plants with two leaves bear one flower at the fork in the stem. Don’t bother to look under plants with only one leaf – it won’t have a blossom.

Here in central Ontario, the flowers appear in late May or early June, so I guess that explains the "May" in mayapple. But I don’t get the apple part. The plant does have a fruit in late summer but it looks more like a lemon. LOOKS like a lemon...is even a shade of yellow, but beware: the fruit is slightly poisonous when eaten green. The rest of the plant is very poisonous. Could that be the reason the plant is also known as devil's apple or American mandrake? Other common names include hog apple, Indian apple, umbrella plant and wild lemon.

7 comments:

Chuck Pefley said...

Good information ... didn't know about MayApples ... pretty flowers nicely presented.

And yes, it is cold in Seattle ... the month is now Junuary :) Prediction is for warmer than normal summer ... whenever that might arrive ... we'll see.

Small City Scenes said...

Very Pretty. I know we sold 'mayapple' plants at the nursery where I worked but I don't think I have seen any anywhere else. Good info. And Chuck is right--it is COLD here with snow at the passes. Brrrr. MB

Kerri Farley said...

What an absolutely lovely flower! I love the raindrops on it!!

Darla said...

Beautiful in the rain drops. I've heard of Mayapples but don't I have seen one before. The name is a bit confusing.

Darla

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

EG: Mayapples do have a beautiful flower which you captured really nicely.

Rose said...

These are really good photographys of mayapples...I think they are so beautiful. I have a corner by my porch with them, trillium, bluebells, and I did have jack-in-the-pulpit but lost it when we rebuilt our porch and extended its length.

Tom said...

I've Just come from one of Abe Lincolns blods and he as pictures of these today as well.. I have never heard of them before and then two posts in a row.. I know of them now:O)

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.