Mayapple, Another Unusual Native Plant

Mayapples make perfect umbrellas for woodland creatures.

There are a handful of native plants that I consider otherworldly because of their unconventional looks—Skunk Cabbage, Bear Corn (a topic for another time), and the one we’ll meet today: Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). It's best described as an umbrella for, well, woodland gnomes and fairies.

Mayapple’s single flower appears in early May.

But really, this foot-tall leafy umbrella covers a single flower that appears in early May and looks like an apple blossom. By June, the flower is replaced with an olive-looking fruit that animals and people both enjoy. Apparently it tastes like a grape-pear-citrus (so, all the fruits?), but I’ve never tried one.

A view of Mayapples from overhead

The rest of the plant is toxic. However, its toxicity has benefits: the root was used medicinally by indigenous peoples and is still used today as an antiviral and chemotherapy drug. While its other common name is Mandrake, it is not related to European Mandrake, of hallucinogenic and Harry Potter fame.

Look for large colonies of Mayapple in the woods this spring. By the time the summer heats up, this plant will disappear.