Clintonia borealis (Aiton) Raf.

Yellow clintonia, bluebead lily, blue-bead lily, clintonia, Clinton's lily, corn lily, cow tongue, yellow beadlily, yellow bluebeadlily, snakeberry, dogberry, straw lily

About plant names...

Yellow blue-bead lily—or whatever you want to call it, since this common species has lots of names—is so named for its pretty yellow flowers and deep, almost metallic blue berries. They occur in New England and temperate regions of the eastern United States, in hardwood forests. They seem to have a special affinity for mountains and swampy areas.

Plants: 12" (30 cm) in height, with a central stem and basal leaves.

Leaves: Oblong, ovate, or elliptic, 6-12" (15-30 cm) in length. Each leaf is glossy, with a central vein running the length of the leaf, and parallel lines on either side.

Flowers: Umbels (bell-shaped), in groups of two to six, each up to 1" (2.5 cm). Each flower has six tepals and six long stamens, as well as a long style. They are nodding.

Fruits: Berries ¼-⅜" (8-12 mm) in diameter, round or oval, with a rich shiny blue color.

Edibility: Young leaves are edible. The delicious-looking berries are not though—they are mildly toxic, and they taste bad.

Medical: The roots contain diosgenin, a saponin steroid with estrogenic effects.

Online References:

Minnesota Wildflowers

The New England Wildflower Society’s GoBotany site

The U.S. Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers site

Newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu

Wikipedia

8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3" (12 × 8.3 cm)

6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

4/21/2021 · Center Pond Preserve, Phippsburg, Maine
≈ 2 × 2" (5.3 × 5.2 cm)

5/17/2021 · Bijhouwer Forest, Phippsburg, Maine
≈ 4½ × 4" (12 × 10 cm)

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 8 × 10" (20 × 25 cm)

8/14/2015 · Roost Trail, Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 21 cm)

7/12/2015 · Mt. Kearsarge, Wilmot/Warner, New Hamp­shire
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

5/9/2016 · Rachel Carson Interpretive Trail, Kennebunk, Maine
≈ 4½ × 4" (12 × 10 cm)

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm)

6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 4½" (9.3 × 12 cm)

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 6 × 6" (16 × 15 cm)

5/9/2016 · Rachel Carson Interpretive Trail, Kennebunk, Maine
≈ 3½ × 3½" (9.7 × 9.7 cm)

7/12/2015 · Mt. Kearsarge, Wilmot/Warner, New Hamp­shire
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm)

7/12/2015 · Mt. Kearsarge, Wilmot/Warner, New Hamp­shire
≈ 3 × 3½" (7.9 × 8.6 cm)

Clintonia borealis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 11 Jul 2023.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 31 × 21" (79 × 53 cm)

5/9/2016 · Rachel Carson Interpretive Trail, Kennebunk, Maine
≈ 2 × 2" (5.7 × 5.7 cm) ID is uncertain

6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3 × 4" (8.1 × 10 cm)

7/13/2015 · Mt. Ascutney State Park, Ascutney, Ver­mont
≈ 7 × 5" (17 × 13 cm)

6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 6" (12 × 14 cm)

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 10 cm)

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 5 × 6" (13 × 15 cm)

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 10 cm)

8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3½" (11 × 8.6 cm)

8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 12 cm)

5/15/2016 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 7 × 4" (16 × 10 cm)

Range:

About this map...