Podophyllum peltatum

Also called Indian Apple, Wild Mandrake

Palmately-lobed mid-green leaves up to 25 cm wide
Immature plants produce only one leaf per stem; flowering plants produce two leaves per stem
Flowers have six to nine white petals with yellow stamens
Fragrant flowers are hidden below the foliage
Flowers give way to yellowish-green berries
May apple spreads by rhizomes to form dense vegetative colonies
Bloom Time: May
Flower Size: 3.5 cm

ZONE:
4

COLOUR:
White

HEIGHT:
30-45 cm

SPREAD:
40-50 cm

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Growing and Maintenance Tips:

Grows best in an average to moist, well-drained, organic soil, in partial to fully shaded gardens. Often found naturalizing in open, deciduous woodlands or at a woodland edge. Foliage goes dormant by mid to late summer. Consider interplanting with something else to fill the space: Solidago caesia, Solidago flexicaulis, Aster/Eurybia divaricata.

Additional Notes about Mayapple:

Native to Ontario

May apple refers to the apple-like blossoms forming in May.

Larval host for Golden Borer Moth and May Apple Borer.

The flowers are pollinated by bumblebees and other long-tongued bees.
Berries can be used in preserves and jellies, or can be left for small mammals.
Note: the berries are edible only when fully ripe. All other plant parts may be poisonous.

Characteristics & Attributes

SOIL MOISTURE:
Moist to Average
Well-drained

GROWTH RATE:
Medium

ATTRIBUTES:
Berries
Juglan Tolerant

FLOWERING TIME:
Spring

HABIT:
Spreading

FOLIAGE COLOR:
Green

LANDSCAPE USES:
Naturalizing
Border/edging
Woodland/woods edge