Podophyllum peltatum L.

Mayapple, mandrake root, American mandrake, raccoon berry, wild lemon, Indian apple, duck’s foot, hog apple, umbrella plant, ground lemon

About plant names...

Mayapple is a native of North America. The common name "umbrella plant" refers to the appearance of the young plants, which look like shiny, tightly furled umbrellas.

Identification: Plants are 12-16" (30-40 cm) high, sometimes growing in dense clonal colonies. Fertile plants are topped by 2-3 leaves 8-12" (20-30 cm) in diameter. Each leaf has 5-9 deeply cut lobes. Sterile plants are topped by a single, umbrella-like leaf. The fertile plant has a single white to pinkish flower, growing from the point where the two leaf stems intersect, 1-1¾" (3-5 cm) in diameter, with 6 petals, sometimes up to 9. The fruit resembles an apple, and is 1¼-2" (3.2-5 cm) around.

Edibility: Poisonous Leaves, stems and roots are poisonous. The yellow, soft, ripe fruits are edible if they have not been treated with pesticides. Washed with warm water, the lemon-like fruit can be made into jam or jelly. Ripe fruits are also edible raw, but they aren't very tasty that way ("insipid," according to one source), and can cause discomfort if they are not fully ripe.

From Köhler, Franz Eugen, Medizinal-Pflantzen, Gera-Untermhaus, FE Köhler, 1887.

Online References:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Missouriplants.com

Wikipedia

The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Plants.ces.ncsu.edu

5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook C, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

5/28/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 20 cm)

3/5/2000 · Memphis, Ten­nes­see · By Tim Chandler

7/10/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 5 × 4½" (13 × 12 cm)

4/8/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, Monkton Rd, Sparks, Mary­land
≈ 14 × 14" (36 × 34 cm)

7/28/2017 · Porcupine Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 11 cm)

5/28/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

5/5/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook C, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

8/17/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 2 × 2½" (5.4 × 6.3 cm)

Podophyllum peltatum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 23 Aug 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

5/21/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 6 × 7" (15 × 18 cm)

5/15/1979 · Virginia · By Tim Chandler

5/3/2014 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

4/6/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, Sparks, Mary­land
≈ 18 × 14" (44 × 34 cm)

4/6/2012 · North Central Railroad Trail, Sparks, Mary­land
≈ 8 × 8" (20 × 20 cm)

4/16/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 3½ × 4" (9.7 × 10 cm)

5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook C, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

4/29/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 12 × 10" (30 × 25 cm)

5/14/2012 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm)

3/26/1998 · Memphis, Ten­nes­see · By Tim Chandler

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm)

4/23/2016 · Big Tree/Porcupine Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 18 × 12" (45 × 30 cm)

8/17/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 10 cm)

3/5/2000 · Memphis, Ten­nes­see · By Tim Chandler

Range: Zones 3-8:

About this map...