Maianthemum stellatum explained

Maianthemum stellatum (star-flowered, starry, or little false Solomon's seal, or simply false Solomon's seal; star-flowered lily-of-the-valley or starry false lily of the valley; syn. Smilacina stellata) is a species of flowering plant, native across North America. It has been found in northern Mexico, every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut, and every US state except Hawaii and the states of the Southeast. It has little white buds in the spring, followed by delicate starry flowers, then green-and-black striped berries, and finally deep red berries in the fall.

Description

Maianthemum stellatum is a herbaceous perennial plant[1] It grows from extensively branching rhizomes, often forming dense patches. Plants are 2-6 dm tall with 8-11 leaves.

Leaves

Leaves can be variable but are usually clasping and often blue-green and folded along the mid-rib.

Flowering clusters

Flowers are set in an un-branched cluster (raceme) at the tip of the flowering stem. Racemes are 1.5–5 cm long and 6–15-flowered. Flowers are set at one per node along the flowering stem, on stalks (pedicles) 6–12 mm long.

Flowers and fruits

Tepals are white and 3–5 mm long.[1] Green berries have distinctive dark stripes, eventually ripening to black.

Distribution

Native across North America generally from Alaska to California to North Carolina to Newfoundland, plus northern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León).[2] [3] It has been found in every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut, and from every US state except Hawaii and the states of the Southeast.

Habitat and ecology

Found in open woods, prairies and shorelines.[1]

Similar species

Maianthemum stellatum is smaller than its close relative M. racemosum. For comparison, M. stellatum has smaller, more open inflorescences that are un-branched and have fewer flowers, flowers with stamens shorter rather than longer than the tepals, and usually somewhat narrower and more curved leaves. Both species show the characteristic zigzag of the stem between the alternate leaves.[4] [5] True Solomon's seal (Polygonatum multiflorum and related species) have a similar overall appearance,[6] but the flowers hang from the stem underneath the leaves, rather than forming a terminal cluster.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Moss . E. . Flora of Alberta . 1983 . University of Toronto Press . 0-8020-2508-0 . 2nd Edition Revised by J.G. Packer.
  2. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/50106394?tab=specimens Tropicos, specimen list for Maianthemum stellatum (L.) Link
  3. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/18400333?tab=specimens Tropicos, specimen list for Smilacina stellata (L.) Desf.
  4. Book: Horn , Kathleen . Sierra Nevada Wildflowers . Mountain Press . 1998 . Missoula, Montana . 96=97 . 0-87842-388-5 . registration .
  5. Book: Laws , John Muir . The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada (California Academy of Sciences) . Heyday Books . 2006 . Berkeley, California . 91 . 978-1-59714-052-2.
  6. Book: Fagan, Damian. Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. FalconGuides. 2019. 978-1-4930-3633-2. Guilford, CT. 25. 1073035766.