Podophyllum peltatum: Umbrella Leaf Charm of Mayapples in Spring

Summary: Podophyllum peltatum is a New World perennial found in woodlands. Mayapples appear with umbrella-like leaves in spring, flower in May, and fruit in August.

Mayapple in flower in June: Velocicaptor, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Except for ripe fruits, which may be consumed raw or, preferably, cooked, in delicate moderation, all parts of mayapples are considered toxically inedible as food sources.

As a therapeutic remedy mayapples have been used judiciously in Native American ethnobotany primarily for elimination as an anthelmintic (Ancient Greek: ἕλμινς, hélmins, “intestinal worm”), an emetic (Ancient Greek: ἔμετος, émetos, “vomit”), and a laxative.

Some tribes, such as the Lenape in the Delaware River watershed and the Penobscot in Maine, treated venereal warts with a topical remedy of crushed rhizomes, which contain podophyllin, a resin effective in stopping cell growth.

Mayapples cluster charmingly as a rare planned planting in my yard. The stalwart sextet represents runaways from woodland settings that were rescued from dusty roadsides.

In April, they always seem to emerge fully grown in the north terrace, between the prim silver maple (Acer saccharinum) to their west and the exuberant box elder (Acer negundo) to their east. With their distinctive umbrella-like leaves, they demurely trail along the western arc of blue rocks encircling the kalanchoe (Kalanchoe ssp.) shade garden.

Although mayapples do not bloom as early spring flowers, they shuffle distinctively across the spring landscape, carpeting forest floors and meadows with their unassumingly effective solidarity.

closeup of mayapple's flower; Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Graham County, western North Carolina; April 20, 2012: Buddha Dog, CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Mayapple in flower in June: Velocicaptor, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PoisonousMayApple099.jpg

closeup of mayapple's flower; Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Graham County, western North Carolina; April 20, 2012: Buddha Dog, CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/70278809@N00/6979402998/

For further information:

Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2009.