Mayapples are popping up all over Portage County. These small forest floor plants native across the eastern United States and Canada, and are one of my favorites. Mayapples spread through seeds and rhizomes, horizontal underground stems that produces new plants and roots. This allows them to form large colonies. They are easy to naturalize in shade to part shade wooded areas with decent soil and good drainage. However, they go dormant when summer arrives. That means that their umbrella like foliage disappears until spring comes again. Although many gardeners enjoy growing them, they are not considered a good border plant due to their short active season.
In spring, mayapples push their way up through last year’s leaf litter until they reach their full height of 12-18 inches. Then they untwist their leaves and spread them out like mini green beach umbrellas all over the woods. Some mayapples only have one stalk with a single leaf. However, those that split into two stalks will produce a single, white bloom of 6-9 petals and about 3 inches wide. The nodding flower hides beneath the leaves.
Once pollinated, the base of the flower begins to swell into an ‘apple’ approximately the size of a ping pong ball. Just as their name indicates mayapples ripen towards the end of May, turning sunshine yellow The apples are edible or they can be made into jams and jellies. These sour fruits were once cultivated by Native Americans. A warning that all parts of the plant except the fruits are poisonous to humans and should not be consumed.
The plants have long been valued for more than just their apples. Learning from Native Americans, early doctors in the 17th and 18th centuries, used mayapples to treat fevers, dropsy, syphilis, rheumatism and more. It was also used as a laxative. More recent studies have caused the World Health Organization to place mayapples on their list of essential medicines. Derivatives of the plant are currently used in the treatment of some cancers. It is also used as an antiviral medication. Ongoing research continues to prove more uses for the amazing mayapple.
If you’d like to see, or even try a mayapple, follow these tips:
- Remember not to pick anything from a park
- Get permission if the plant is growing on someone else’s property
- Make sure the plant was not sprayed with any sort of chemical
- Wash it before you eat it
- Eat only the fruit