Happy spring! I don’t know about where you live, but where I live, this spring has already been quite different than in past years. As I write this, it is April 24; our last frost date isn’t for another week or two, and we’ve already had a couple weeks of 80 degree weather! Everything is green and leafed out with much having already bloomed. Even our strawberry plants are already producing green berries. I have noticed that many wildflowers have already gone to seed! You know the saying, “April showers bring (I say spring) May flowers?” Well, so far, we have only had two rains. So to recap, we have had much warmer temperatures and not much rain. Last year our spring was longer, cooler, and oh so wet. What about you, what’s your weather been like? I have been enjoying watching the Missouri native plants grow and flower; it’s a beautiful sight. I thought I would share the lovely Mayapple with you today.
Description of the Mayapple
Today, let’s take a look at the Mayapple. The Mayapple may also be called Mandrake and can be spelled May Apple, or Mayapple. Its Latin name is Podophyllum peltatum and it’s in the family Berberidaceae or better known as the barberry family. This perennial plant can be found in zones 3-8 and is native to Missouri and Eastern North America. I have always found it to be growing in the moist woods under a canopy. These plants most commonly grow in colonies, and while they will self-seed they also multiply through their rhizomes.
The Mayapple is a unique looking plant. The leaves are like umbrellas sheltering the flower and later the little fruit that is produced. The smooth green leaves are deeply notched and sometimes the notch goes nearly to the stem. The leaf underside is lighter than above. The leaves of a Mayapple can grow up to a foot wide. The overall height of the plant can grow 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall. The photo with two leaves is a female plant and the photo with only one leaf is the male plant.
Here’s the interesting part about a Mayapple. Notice the two plants side by side in the photo above. They are both Mayapple. One is a female plant, and one is a male plant. Female and male plants are easy to identify even before they flower because the female plant will have two leaves. That is at the top of the stem, the stem will split into two stems each one ending with a single leaf. The male plant will only have one stem and one leaf. Let me go ahead and say there have been some Mayapples with three leaves, which will produce the flower and the fruit; however I do not believe I have ever seen a three leafed Mayapple. The stem is strong, solid, smooth, and varies in color from greenish to cream and with a reddish tinge farther down.
Check out the beautiful flower of the Mayapple. Each female plant only produces one flower and one fruit. That’s it. The flowers can bloom from March-May, but around here it’s most often April or early May. The plant goes dormant in the summer. The flowers are white; however there is a rare pink form that exists although I’ve never been fortunate enough to see one for myself. The flower arises from the axil of the two leaves, and it can have between 6-9 waxy spreading petals, and the flower can actually grow to be up to 3″ across. The egg-shaped fruit can grow about 2″ long and starts off green then turns a golden color when ripe. Around here, the fruit may not ripen until later in the summer.
WARNINGS for Mayapple
Well now that you know what the Mayapple looks like, you may be wondering if it can be used for anything. Here you go. The Mayapple is edible and medicinal HOWEVER it’s also TOXIC. Don’t you just love the contradiction? Here’s how it works. The roots, stem, and leaves are toxic. When I first learned of Mayapple, years ago, I also read that the skin and seeds were toxic too. Then and now my research says only the ripe fruit, beneath the skin, is edible. Some people have contact dermatitis when Mayapple gets on their skin. Due to the toxicity of the plant, a warning of death should be issued.
Uses for Mayapple
Historically Mayapples have been used to make jams and jellies and preserves, and they can be eaten raw. I have never been able to catch them when they’re ripe, so I haven’t been able to taste one, but I hear they have a pleasant taste. It is said that they were an important food crop for the Native Americans and that there have been some claims about their use as a cancer treatment.
According to WebMD, Mayapple can be used to treat STIs that can lead to genital warts, cancer, and HPV.
Mayapple is also said to help with gastric disorders.
They say boiling the leaves of Mayapple and using the liquid can be a helpful insecticidal spray for garden pests.
Learn more about Mayapple and related informational links here.
Video ID
Here is an older video I did several years back on identifying Mayapple. FYI: I posted this on my other channel.
DISCLAIMER
DISCLAIMER: Please understand that we are NOT medical professionals. We are simply conducting our own research to help our family, and we are sharing what we find. We cannot examine, diagnose, prevent, treat, nor cure any illness, disease, or condition. We make no claim as to the safety or efficacy of any herb or herbal preparation we share. YOU are responsible for yourself and your family, including your own health. Always do YOUR OWN research. Never take one person’s word as fact. Just like pharmaceuticals, herbs can interact with other herbs or drugs or health conditions or you could have an allergic reaction. If you’re pregnant, plan to be, or are nursing, consult your doctor, naturopath, functional medicine doctor, or pharmacist. Please talk with your doctor, naturopath, functional medicine doctor, or pharmacist about any questions or concerns.
In addition, if you decide to try an herbal preparation, ALWAYS make 100% positive identification (if wild harvesting) of any plant you hope to use in any way as some plants have toxic look alikes. Some plants look completely different when they’re seedlings versus when they’re full grown. Some plants may have edible and toxic parts on the SAME plant at the SAME time! Some plants are only recommended for external use only. Some plants or plant parts may be safe to eat at one time but toxic at another time. NEVER consume plants that have been sprayed with chemicals or are grown close to a busy roadway.
That's all About Mayapple for Now
I hope you enjoyed this article and pictures. Tell me, do you have Mayapple on your property? Do you have an experience with it yourself?
