A Plant Well-Suited to May’s Spring Showers

by Judith Warrington, JRA Communications Coordinator

On my way to a weekend camping trip at James River State Park in Gladstone, I spied one of my favorite signs of spring growing along the roadside, the mayapple. If you’ve never stopped to examine this charming native perennial plant, start looking for them in mixed deciduous forests or along shaded roadsides and stream banks. Its downward curving multi-lobed leaves form a perfect little parasol, hence the mayapple’s more common name, umbrella plant.

The mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, also called American mandrake (but no relation to the true European mandrake plant), devil’s apple or hog apple, forms bright green drifts along shady roadsides. Native to much of the Eastern and Central U.S., the plants form large colonies connected by rhizomes in moist, humus-rich soils. Springtime mushroom hunters consider the mayapple to be an indicator of the presence of tasty morels.

Plants can grow to 18 inches in height and a mature plant bears a single white flower that appears in early May, followed by a yellow-green fruit in summer. The apple name is probably due to the apple blossom-like appearance of the flower that grows under the leaves. The oblong berry itself looks more like a lime than an apple and has a lemony taste.

Mayapples have been used by the Native Americas and in folk medicine for their medicinal properties, and while the ripe fruit is not considered toxic in limited amounts, be on the safe side and don’t eat it. All other parts of the plant -- foliage, rhizomes and roots -- are highly poisonous. Even deer tend to leave this plant alone! So, if you are looking for a deer-resistant spring ground cover for naturalizing a shady, un-mowed area, this charming native could be the answer. Just be advised that the plant can be invasive and may go dormant in summer.

Although not endangered, leave plants in the wild. You can often find mayapple plants for sale at nurseries that carry native plants. Several ornamental Asian varieties of this herbaceous perennial may also be available. Plant one mayapple and you could soon have your own colony.

Whether you call them mayapples, umbrella plants or devil’s apples, these native plants are one of the welcome sights of warm weather on the James.