False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum): white Minnesota wildflowers

False Solomon's Seal

Plant Info
Also known as:	Solomon's Plume, Feathery False Lily-of-the-Valley
Scientific name:	Maianthemum racemosum
Family:	Lily (Liliaceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	shade to part sun; woods
Bloom season:	late spring, early summer
Plant height:	1 to 3 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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Flower:: Spike cluster 3 to 5 inches long and about 2 inches across of up to 80 star-shaped flowers. Individual flowers are 1/8-inch across, made up of 3 white petals and 3 petal-like sepals so it looks like 6 petals. The stamen tips are cream colored or pale yellow.
Leaves and stem:: Leaves are up to 6 inches long and 3 inches across, oval and pointed at the tip. There is no leaf stalk. The leaf edges are a bit wavy but otherwise smooth. Leaves are hairy underneath and have heavy parallel veins. The stem is not upright, but grows at an angle or arcing. The stem often zig-zags between the alternately attached leaves.
Fruit:: A small cluster of waxy berries, each 1/8 inch across, that turn bright red when ripe.
Notes:: Just looking at the leaves, Smooth Solomon's Seal, False Solomon's Seal, and Starry Solomon's Plume are all very similar and can be hard to tell apart. Starry Solomon's Plume prefers sunnier habitats, has fewer, larger flowers, plus its stem is often more upright and its leaves are more narrow than False Solomon's Seal. Smooth Solomon's Seal has a raceme of flowers on the underside of the arcing stem, rather than a spike at the end.