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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

beadruby, false lily-of-the-valley, May-lily, Pacific May lily, snakeberry, two-leaf false Solomon's-seal, two-leaf Solomon's seal, wild lily-of-the-valley

Habit Plants terrestrial, to 12.5 cm. Plants terrestrial, 20–45 cm.
Rhizomes

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

sympodial, proliferatively branching, units 8–20 cm × 1–1.5 mm, roots restricted to nodes.

Stems

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

erect, 1.5–3.5 dm × 2–4 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.

solitary on sterile shoots, 2–3 on fertile shoots, petiolate;

blade cordate, 6–10 × 5–8 cm;

base lobed, with deep sinus;

apex sharply acute;

proximal leaves short-petiolate, blade triangular to cordate, petiole 4–7 cm;

distal leaves petiolate, blade deeply cordate, petiole 7–10 cm.

Inflorescences

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

racemose, complex, 15–40-flowered.

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.

(1–)3(–4) per node, 2-merous;

tepals conspicuous, 2–3.2 × 1.5 mm;

filaments 1.5 mm;

anthers 0.2–0.4 mm;

ovary globose, 0.8–1 mm wide;

style 0.4–0.5 mm;

stigma distinctly 2-lobed;

pedicel 3–5 × 0.2–0.4 mm.

Berries

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

green mottled with red when young, maturing to deep translucent red, globose, 4–6 mm diam.

Seeds

1–4, globose, 2.5–4 mm.

1–2, globose, 2–3 mm.

2n

= 36, 72, 144.

= 36.

Maianthemum racemosum

Maianthemum dilatatum

Phenology Flowering early spring.
Habitat Abundant in coniferous and deciduous forests, especially in forest margins
Elevation 0–800 m (0–2600 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC; YT; Asia (Kamtchatka peninsula in e Russia to Japan)
[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.)

Variation in the gross morphology, karyology, and ecology of the North American populations has been documented (S. Kawano et al. 1971) and compared with that of disjunct populations in Japan (S. Kawano et al. 1968b).

(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. FNA vol. 26, p. 208.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Maianthemum Liliaceae > Maianthemum
Sibling taxa
M. canadense, M. dilatatum, M. stellatum, M. trifolium
M. canadense, M. racemosum, M. stellatum, M. trifolium
Subordinate taxa
M. racemosum subsp. amplexicaule, M. racemosum subsp. racemosum
Synonyms Convallaria racemosa, Smilacina racemosa, Unifolium racemosum M. bifolium var. dilatatum, M. bifolium var. kamtschaticum, M. kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium kamtschaticum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Link: Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 343. (1821) (Alph. Wood) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 61: 30. (1916)
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