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false Solomon's-seal, false spikenard, feathery false lily of the valley, feathery false Solomon's-seal, large false Solomon's-seal, plumed Solomon's seal, Solomon's-plume, treacleberry

Habit Plants terrestrial, to 12.5 cm.
Rhizomes

sympodial, cylindrical, units 30–40 cm × 8–14 mm, sometimes multiplied, roots scattered.

Stems

erect or arching, 7.5–12.5 dm × 7–9 mm.

Leaves

7–12, sessile and clasping, or petiolate;

blade elliptic to ovate, 9–17 × 5–8 cm;

base rounded or tapered;

apex acute or caudate.

Inflorescences

paniculate, 70–250-flowered, branches well developed, pyramidal.

Flowers

3-merous;

tepals inconspicuous, 0.5–1 × 0.5 mm;

filaments 1 × 0.5 mm;

anthers 0.5–1 mm;

ovary globose, 1 mm wide;

style 0.1–0.3 mm;

stigma obscure;

pedicel 0.5–1 × 0.5 mm.

Berries

green with copper spots when young, maturing to deep translucent red, globose or 3-lobed, 4–6 mm wide.

Seeds

1–4, globose, 2.5–4 mm.

2n

= 36, 72, 144.

Maianthemum racemosum

Distribution
from USDA
North America; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Maianthemum racemosum is sometimes cultivated. It was described as apomictic (A. L. Gorham 1953) but is much in need of cytogeographic and reproductive biological studies.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems erect; leaves sessile, clasping, blade base rounded; apex of third leaf below inflorescence acute, shorter than 2 mm; w North America.
subsp. amplexicaule
1. Stems arching; leaves petiolate, blade base tapered; apex of third leaf below inflorescence caudate, 12–25 mm; e North America.
subsp. racemosum
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 208.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Maianthemum
Sibling taxa
M. canadense, M. dilatatum, M. stellatum, M. trifolium
Subordinate taxa
M. racemosum subsp. amplexicaule, M. racemosum subsp. racemosum
Synonyms Convallaria racemosa, Smilacina racemosa, Unifolium racemosum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Link: Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 343. (1821)
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