Common Name:
MAY-APPLE, MANDRAKE
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Coefficient of Conservatism:
3
Coefficient of Wetness:
3
Wetness Index:
FACU
Physiognomy:
Nt P-Forb
A. Corrado
Deciduous forests and borders of forests, rarely in cedar swamps.
A familiar wildflower, forming large clonal colonies of deeply lobed, peltate leaves, whose umbrella-like aspect is emphasized as they emerge from the ground, neatly furled. Fertile plants bear a pair of cauline leaves, and similar vegetative leaves are common. Rarely a leafless flowering plant is found. The flower may be as broad as 7 cm. The large berry is generally considered edible, but other parts, especially the roots, contain a poisonous resin, which has some medicinal value.