Maianthemum and relatives.

Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 04:08

I have several very nice Maianthemums. On most the flowers are not very showy but the stem and leaves are decorative and they get coloured berries in fall. Here are two - nameless (as usual).

Comments


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 06:30

I certainly see the resemblance to our American False Solomon's seal.  Ours has been reclassified as Maianthemum racemosum (from Smilacina racemosa).  But no, it can't be that, according to the Flora of North America.  Petals are easily seen on on Trond's photo, and are not on our American native.

Hoy wrote:

Here are two - nameless (as usual).

Trond, are you showing two different species?  They look the same to me...


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 14:48

RickR wrote:

I certainly see the resemblance to our American False Solomon's seal.  Ours has been reclassified as Maianthemum racemosum (from Smilacina racemosa).  But no, it can't be that, according to the Flora of North America.  Petals are easily seen on on Trond's photo, and are not on our American native.

Hoy wrote:

Here are two - nameless (as usual).

Trond, are you showing two different species?  They look the same to me...

I see I was a bit unclear :-\

Regarding the False Solomon's Seal, it is as Rick says, the same genus, not the same species.

Rick, I don't know the species name(s) but according to Afloden both are tatsiense.

However, although the overall growth pattern is similar they are very different in details like leaf petiole, panicle form etc.


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 22:24

Gee, I really didn't look very closely at the second pic, I had thought it was still completely in bud... obviously not!

I like them both. ;D


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 00:37

Interesting plants! M racemosum is in Alberta, but not around here that I have seen; M stellatum is common, as is M canadense, and M trifolium (watching for seeds for you again this year, last year there was little seed of that species it seemed, and/or I missed it! All three species here usually seem to make a relatively small number of berries compared to the number of flowers, though sometimes there are a lot of berries)


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 07/21/2012 - 19:14

They are interesting/odd in that they flower early and make berries very late!