These lovely little plants, which look like just one giant leaf on top of a stem, are called May Apple. Sure enough, I took this picture at the end of May and a week later they were clearly on their last legs. They've been growing here since we moved in and seem to be spreading, but they never flower. (How do they spread, then? I don't know!) They don't get much direct light. This picture was taken early in the morning; after about 8:30am they are shaded by the house. Does that keep them from flowering?
I've typically seen May apples while hikng around in marshy forests. This makes me think that they just don't need a lot of direct sunlight. They do have pretty white blossoms (looks like an apple blossom) under the leaf umbrella. It's supposed to produce a fruit but I've never seen it. I think the plant is toxic but the fruit might not be (according to this blogger: http://bit.ly/cpBQqT)
ReplyDeleteI was going to ask where the "apple" part of the name comes from, but I guess Matty answered that.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have seen pictures of these mythical flowers online and they are very pretty. I wish I had some.
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