The Mayapples grow in the fresh sunshine with curious, awkward grace.
No walk through the spring woods or pastures would be complete without finding colonies of these plants. Their glossy umbrella tops conceal the waxen, white flower, but the rich gardenia-like fragrance reveals its whereabouts to the insects that pollinate it.
May apples are seldom seen in our gardens, and I often wonder why they are typical of spring and easy to grow.
Podophyllum Peltatum “Mayapple”
Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, is a May flowering perennial growing about 12” inches high, well known for its unusual, shield-shaped leaves that unfurl like a parasol.
The young plants have a single leaf, while the mature flowering plants are double-leafed.
The single white flower, borne where the stem forks, is followed by a small lemon-shaped “apple,” which ripens in late summer.
Our pioneer grandmothers carefully gathered these for jelly or marmalade. They are edible raw; the sweet, heavy flesh has a slightly acid tang. In the South, they are used in fruit drinks.
Where It Grows
Mayapples grow in either sun or shade from a slowly spreading underground rootstock; they are not particular about the soil and may be propagated from seed or divisions. They make a good ground cover under trees or in the wild garden.
I cannot recommend them for a prominent spot in beds or borders because the leaves are tattered and yellow by the end of summer, and also, their unusual shape does not blend readily with other plant forms.
But along the shrubbery border, under a tree, or in an out-of-the-way corner, they invite the spring-dazzled gardener to drop his tools and come and peer under their broad leaves in search of the hidden blossom whose fragrance foretells the fruits of summer.
44659 by June Weiderman