star-flowered lily-of-the-valley
Maianthemum stellatum
The berries undergo a dramatic color shift, starting greenish with dark stripes before ripening to a solid, deep ruby red.
- Scientific name
- Maianthemum stellatum
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Asparagales › Asparagaceae › Maianthemum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Moist coniferous and deciduous forests, woodland edges, and montane meadows.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- United States, Canada, Northern Mexico
- Size
- 20 to 60 centimeters in height.
- Lifespan
- Perennial; individual stems are seasonal but the underground rhizome colony can live for decades.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, invasive species like garlic mustard, and excessive herbivory by overpopulated deer.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You may observe this plant closely from a safe distance to avoid trampling the soil. If skin irritation occurs from handling, wash with soap and water; do not ingest berries as they may cause digestive upset.
Maianthemum stellatum ( star-flowered , starry , or little false Solomon's seal , or simply false Solomon's seal ; star-flowered lily-of-the-valley or starry false lily of the valley ; syn. Smilacina stellata ) is a species of flowering plant, native across North America generally from Alaska to California to North Carolina to Newfoundland, plus northern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León). It has been found in every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut, and from every US state except Hawaii and the states...
Photo: Tom Norton, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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