Field Notes
~by Jim Eagleman
Mayapple
T
he spring perennial mayapple, sometimes referred to as mandrake, is now growing commonly in our Brown County woods. Other wildflowers often appear alongside and are recognizable due to stems, blooms, and leaves. But the mayapple is unique; it only has two leaves and one flower, which grow in the axil, or “crotch,” of the leaf stems. The pale white to rose-colored flower has six to nine
54 Our Brown County • May/June 2022
Down in the shady woodland where the fern fronds are uncurled, a host of green umbrellas are swifty now unfurled. Do they shelter fairy people from sudden pelting showers, or are the leaves but sunshades to shield the waxen flowers? Mandrakes, —Minnie Curtis Walt waxy petals and many stamens. The flowers are cross pollenated by bumblebees and other solitary bees with elongated sucking mouthparts. But it is the large, twin, umbrella-like leaves, deep green in color, and not the hidden flower, that make identification of this plant easy, compared to other spring ephemerals. The leaves remain unfurled as the stem lengthens, unfolding six to eight inches across when the plant has reached its full height of one to one-and-a-half feet. On occasion, the stem can spear a fallen oak or maple leaf as it grows. Mayapple’s scientific name, Podophyllum peltatum, derives from podus (foot) and phyllon (leaf ) as the plant is thought to bear some resemblance to a duck’s foot. The species name, peltatum, suggests a shield. Large patches of mayapple can dominate the woodland floor in early spring, long before the canopy of tree branches leaf out. As they mature, the mayapple will colonize areas into dense mats, usually in damp woods where thick leaf litter retains moisture. Many plant stems arise from underground roots, called rhizomes. When I exposed the roots of a dense patch of mayapples I saw how prolific this plant can be. Growing from a single root, interconnected, reddish-brown tubers spread in all directions, producing stems and leaves that grow crowded together. It’s these patches of mayapple, rather than individual plants, that foresters
