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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

smilacine trifoliée, three-leaf false Solomon's-seal, three-leaf Solomon's-plume, three-leaf Solomon's-seal, threeleaf false lily of the valley

Habit Plants terrestrial, to 12.5 cm. Plants aquatic, 4–15 cm.
Rhizomes

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

sympodial, proliferatively spreading, filiform, units 2–30 cm × 1–2 mm, roots restricted to nodes.

Stems

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

erect, 1–2.5 dm × 2–3 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.

2–4 on fertile shoots, sessile;

blade elliptic, 5–12 × 2.5–4 cm;

base narrowly tapering;

apex acute or acuminate.

Inflorescences

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

racemose, simple, 5–15-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.

3-merous;

tepals conspicuous, 2.5–4 × 1.5–2 mm;

filaments 1.5–2 mm;

anthers 0.5–0.7 mm;

ovary globose or cylindrical, 2–2.5 × 1.5–2.4 mm;

style 0.5–1.5 mm;

stigma distinctively 3-lobed;

pedicel 1–3 × 0.5 mm.

Berries

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

green with fine red spots when young, maturing to red, globose, 4–6 mm diam.

Seeds

1–4, globose, 2.5–4 mm.

1–3, globose, 2 mm.

2n

= 36, 72, 144.

= 36.

Maianthemum racemosum

Maianthemum trifolium

Phenology Flowering May–Jun, fruits retained through Sep.
Habitat Often forming dense clonal patches in sphagnum bogs, muskegs, and wet forests
Elevation 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Asia (Siberia)
[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. FNA vol. 26, p. 209.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Maianthemum Liliaceae > Maianthemum
Sibling taxa
M. canadense, M. dilatatum, M. stellatum, M. trifolium
M. canadense, M. dilatatum, M. racemosum, M. stellatum
Subordinate taxa
M. racemosum subsp. amplexicaule, M. racemosum subsp. racemosum
Synonyms Convallaria racemosa, Smilacina racemosa, Unifolium racemosum Convallaria trifolia, Smilacina trifolia, Unifolium trifolium, Vagnera trifolia
Name authority (Linnaeus) Link: Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 343. (1821) (Linnaeus) Sloboda: Rostlinnictví, 192. (1852)
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