Maianthemum racemosum |
Maianthemum racemosum subsp. racemosum |
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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 |
feathery false lily of the valley |
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Habit | Plants terrestrial, to 12.5 cm. | |||||
Rhizomes | sympodial, cylindrical, units 30–40 cm × 8–14 mm, sometimes multiplied, roots scattered. |
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Stems | erect or arching, 7.5–12.5 dm × 7–9 mm. |
arching. |
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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. |
petiolate; blade base tapered; apex of third leaf below inflorescence caudate, 12–25 mm; petiole 2–6 mm. |
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Inflorescences | paniculate, 70–250-flowered, branches well developed, pyramidal. |
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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. |
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Berries | green with copper spots when young, maturing to deep translucent red, globose or 3-lobed, 4–6 mm wide. |
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Seeds | 1–4, globose, 2.5–4 mm. |
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2n | = 36, 72, 144. |
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Maianthemum racemosum |
Maianthemum racemosum subsp. racemosum |
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Phenology | Flowering mid spring; fruiting early summer–autumn. | |||||
Habitat | Deciduous woodlands, persisting along shaded roadsides and urban and suburban wooded tracts | |||||
Elevation | 0–800 m (0–2600 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
North America; n Mexico
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AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC |
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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.) |
Subspecies racemosum is distinguished from subsp. amplexicaule by its erect habit, clasping leaves, and short-acute leaf apex; these differences can be seen in the two color photographs in H. W. Rickett ([1966–1973], vol. 1(1), plate 6; vol. 5(1), plate 8). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 208. | FNA vol. 26, p. 209. | ||||
Parent taxa | Liliaceae > Maianthemum | Liliaceae > Maianthemum > Maianthemum racemosum | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Convallaria racemosa, Smilacina racemosa, Unifolium racemosum | Vagnera australis, Vagnera retusa | ||||
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Link: Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 343. (1821) | unknown | ||||
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