While I can’t pick any favorites, the mayapple is absolutely a sentimental plant for me, personally. Take any child to a forest filled with ephemeral umbrellas that pop up during the rainiest season in the northeast, and their imagination will blossom. Long before I had any concept of geographical location let alone native versus exotic or even invasive plants, I met the mayapple in its natural habitat. I saw them, and I thought my parents, themselves involved in cultivating lovely gardens, couldn’t possibly know the wonders of this magical plant. To a child’s mind, especially one who frequently found herself wandering off into the woods, they showed up seemingly out of nowhere and then, just as quickly, disappeared into thin air.
It’s the first plant that I remember trying to plant in the garden (without my parents’ knowledge). I’d picked one in the woods nearby and carried it home, sticking it in the soil similarly to how I’d seen my mom plant her carnations. I put it in the same bed as the carnations, just behind them. Unfortunately, I did not know what I was doing, and it didn’t survive. However, the memory of this experience did survive. Since they carpet my current property, likely sown by the eastern box turtles who favor its fruit, I made sure my own children would grow up knowing what it’s like to wade through a field of umbrellas.
Why do we call it a mayapple?
The name mayapple is a bit of a misnomer. The flowers appear in May, but the fruit doesn’t ripen until sometime mid-summer. The fruit of the singular white blooms more closely resembles that of lemons than apples, which lends it another, less common name, “wild lemon.” It has quite a few common names, but the only one I’ve ever heard besides mayapple is the American mandrake. Maybe whoever named it accidentally felt sickened by the unripe fruit, because most of the plant (including the seeds) is toxic. Only the pulp of a fully ripe fruit is edible, though I personally have never tried it. That is the only thing it has in common with the European mandrake. To me, the rhizomes are far more akin to that of a centipede in form than a human.
Are mayapples a keystone species?
They are not considered keystone species, though the pollen supports numerous long-tongued bees. The consensus is that the flowers do not produce any nectar. However, that does not stop the white slantline mayapple moth from utilizing the flowers as camouflage. I do see deer browsing just the leaves, leaving a field of green stems with the occasional flower or fruit hanging from them. That being said, due to the toxicity of this plant, I’m not sure if it’s a choice forb or simply what’s available and abundant. Until you are able to get a field of these established on your own property, I do suggest spraying or caging them.
While I’m sure many of our wildlife enjoy its fruit (since it is rare that I ever find a ripe one), I don’t think any of them love it more than the eastern box turtle. While the plant itself is abundant in the wild and globally secure, the eastern box turtle is globally listed as vulnerable and a special species of concern. They have suffered a great deal of habitat loss, and fragmentation of habitat puts them at risk of injury or death should they attempt to move to a more suitable location. If you find any in the wild, do not move them. They will try to make their way back home, and risk injury or death if they need to cross the road.
The mayapples in my store
I harvest and propagate the wild, PA ecotype mayapples from my property in a sustainable manner. I dig them up while dormant, clean them off thoroughly, pot them up and wait for new growth before listing as available. This is why they are only available in limited quantity during their active growing season. They are quite abundant here and spread faster than I can move them, so there is no risk of overharvesting. While I will also attempt to grow them from seed, a sizeable plant will take many years. This way, I can ensure that you have a local PA ecotype plant in your garden that can feed our turtle population sooner than later.
I pot my mayapples in 4 inch pots. I do not recommend keeping them in the pots long-term, unless you move them to larger containers. They would do best where they can spread out.
Why do some mayapples appear mottled?
Some of the population has natural variegation in the leaves, which is a product of natural genetic diversity. Later on in the season many mayapples also host a yellow or orange rust, but this doesn’t harm them, as they go dormant fairly soon after. This rust can also produce a mottled effect, though it shows up a bit differently. If you buy more than one plant, you’ll likely end up with a mix of mottled and just green. You can see this in the photos taken on my property, with one of the photos showing the mottling in detail.
To me they somewhat resemble the carapace of the eastern box turtle, with their shield-like appearance and mottled patterning on the leaves. Whether or not it’s by chance I don’t know, but I love that the flora and fauna that are closely associated in the wild also share some resemblance to one another. I’d like to think that the plants would help to camouflage the creature that eats their fruit and helps disperse their seeds throughout the area.
What is a spring ephemeral?
Spring ephemeral plants are ones that emerge in early spring in our forests, often prior to the trees leafing out, allowing them to capitalize on this short window of warmth and abundant sunlight to photosynthesize, flower, fruit and store up energy prior to going dormant. Because this is such a short span of time, they often take many years to reach full maturity (the stage in which they have stored up enough energy to begin reproducing). Even if you plant them in ideal year-round lighting conditions, they are unlikely to remain through the heat of summer.
It is for this reason that many spring ephemerals are listed as drought tolerant, because they have completed their annual growth prior to going dormant when we are likely to experience a drought. They do still need to have access to abundant moisture during their active growing season. However, unless there are other plants present, continuing to drench the soil where planted would likely result in rot. Do not plant these under evergreens.
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