Mayapple, podophyllum peltatum, picture by the Author.
If
you have ever wandered through the spring or early summer woods of the eastern
half of the United States and Canada, then you have probably seen mayapples, podophyllum peltatum, springing up from the ground in the moist areas under deciduous
trees...but they aren’t really apples.
In fact, except for the ripened berry, all other parts of the plant, the
stems, roots, unripe berries, and the seeds in the berry, all contain
podophyllotoxin, an alkaloid, that is highly poisonous!
Mayapples,
podophyllum peltatum
A painting by Charles Frederick Millspaugh, 1887, in American Medicinal Plants, from Wikimedia, HERE.
Mayapples are also known as indian apples,
american mandrake, wild mandrake, or pomme de mai, and even though it is a highly
poisonous plant, it has been used for centuries as a cathartic medical tonic to
purge a patient and relieve constipation and induce vomiting1, and
the ripe berries, which is the only part of the plant that is not poisonous, with
the poisonous seeds removed, have been eaten or made into jams or pies2
for just as long.
An excerpt from Medicine in Virginia in the eighteenth century, by Wyndham B. Blanton, M.D., page 216.
The
mayapple, podophyllum peltatum, is a common and widespread herbaceous perennial
plant that is native across much of eastern North America, growing in colonies
from a single root, in open deciduous forests, shady fields, roadsides, and
riverbanks. Just as with many other native
wildflowers, mayapples sprout early in the spring, before the surrounding trees
develop leaves, and then the stems and leaves wither and die by mid-summer.
Mayapple, podophyllum peltatum, distribution, from “Podophyllum peltatum L.”, by Natural Resource Conservation Service.
The
upright stems all grow from a single, branched root, which is made up of many
thick, dark to reddish brown tubers connected by fleshy, fibrous tendrils and
downward spreading roots. Each terminal
bud on the roots produces a single shoot which will develop into a 12-18 inch (30-45
cm) tall stem, with one or two umbrella-like (peltate) leaves, having between
five and nine lobes.
A mayapple, podophyllum peltatum, photograph by the Author.
Mayapples
are called mayapples, because they flower in April or May, and because the
flowers look like apple blossoms. Only
stems with two leaf stalks will have a single flower, which will bud from the
axil, where the two leaves attach to the stalk.
Each blossom is about two to three inches (5-8 cm) across and is white
to rose-colored with six to nine waxy petals.
The flowers are quite pretty, but they are often hard to find as they
are hidden under the leaves and are short lived.
“Flower from the Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)”, by Willthomas, from Wikimedia, HERE.
The
pollinated flower produces a green, lemon-shaped berry, containing several tan
seeds. These 1-½ to 2 inch (4-5 cm) long
berries turn to a golden, yellow color, sometimes tinged with pink or purple by
late summer. The ripened berries (but
not the seeds) are edible and can be used in preserves or pies.
“Botanical model of Podophyllum peltatum by George and Paul Marchand in the Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York, USA”, by Daderot, from Wikimedia, HERE.
So
next time you are walking in the early spring to late summer woods of eastern
North America, and you see large umbrella like leaves sprouting under the
trees, you’ll know that they are mayapples, which aren’t really apples at all!
Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Dry
Gripes, Lead Poisoning and Mayapples©”, where we will talk about on the historical,
medical uses of mayapples and a common 18th century ailment, which
was actually a symptom of lead poisoning!
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
1
For more information on the historical, medical uses of
mayapples, look for a future article entitled “Dry
Gripes, Lead Poisoning and Mayapples©”
2 For
more information on making mayapple jams or pies, become a Patreon subscriber and look for
a future article entitled “Cooking with Mayapples©”
Sources
Blanton, Wyndham B., M.D.; Medicine in Virginia in
the eighteenth century, [Richmond,
Garrett & Massie, Inc., 1931], page 216, https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001557339, accessed June 21, 2022
Elias, Thomas S. and Dykeman, Peter
A.; Field Guide To North American Edible Wild Plants, [Outdoor Life
Books, Times Mirror Magazines, Inc., New York, NY, 1982], pages 140 and 262.
Mahr,
Susan; “Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum”, [© 2022 The Board of Regents of the
University of Wisconsin System, University of Wisconsin – Madison], https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/mayapple-podophyllum-peltatum/, accessed June 12, 2022
Natural
Resource Conservation Service; “Podophyllum peltatum L.”, [United States
Department of Agriculture], https://adminplants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=POPE, accessed
June 12, 2022
Wikimedia,
“American_medicinal_plants;_an_illustrated_and_descriptive_guide_to_the_American_plants_used_as_homopathic_remedies-_their_history,_preparation,_chemist”,
by Charles Frederick Millspaugh, 1887, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_medicinal_plants;_an_illustrated_and_descriptive_guide_to_the_American_plants_used_as_homopathic_remedies-_their_history,_preparation,_chemistry_and_physiological_effects_(1887)_(17534042604).jpg, accessed June 21, 2022
Wikimedia,
“Botanical model of Podophyllum peltatum by George and
Paul Marchand in the Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York, USA”, by
Daderot, January 20, 2010; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marchand_models_in_Buffalo_Museum_of_Science_-_IMG_3839.JPG, accessed June 21, 2022
Wikimedia,
“Flower from the Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)”, by Willthomas, April 26,
2021, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Podophyllum_peltatum_flower.jpg, accessed June 21, 2022,
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