Common Name of Plant: May Apple or Mandrake
Scientific Name of Plant: Podophyllum peltatum
Average Height of Plant: 1-2 feet
Blooming Time Spring: April - June
Ask the Botanist
What are the leaves like?
The umbrella-like leaves are borne on erect stems. The leaves have five to nine deeply
divided lobes which are coarsely-toothed at the edges. The leaves are 12-16 inches in
diameter.
What type of flowers bloom on this plant? What do the seedpods or seeds look like?
The single fragrant flower grows on a stalk that droops under and between two adjoining
leaves. The flower is white and has six to nine petals. A large edible berry the size of a
lemon develops in summer. Only the pulp of the berry is edible. The seeds and leaves are
poisonous.
What is unusual about the stem or trunk?
The plants come up from creeping rhizomes (underground roots). This allows May Apple to
form large colonies.
How is this plant important to animals? Has it also been used by people?
Animals feed on the fruit, and the root has been used as medicine.
What location does this plant prefer?
May Apple prefers moist wooded areas.
Pictures
Whole Plant
Leaf
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Fruit
Flowers
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Seeds
Stem or Tree Bark