Canada mayflower
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Maianthemum canadense Desf.
Common name(s): Canada mayflower, Canadian may-lily, false lily-of-the-valley, twoleaved Solomon’s seal
Links: USDA PLANTS Profile , NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- crop field, early May
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- near wooded edge of blueberry field
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- in flower, end of May
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- plants typically have 1-3 leaves
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- flowers passed by, early June, in wet depression in blueberry field
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- in fruit, early June
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- fruit
Description:
– perennial
– generally flowers spring through June in ME
– generally fruits June through August in ME
- the berries are eaten by birds
Habitat:
-forests, man-made disturbed areas, and rocky slopes
– in boggy areas, may be confused with M. trifolium; see left sidebar of Go Botany webpage
Source(s):
Hansen, R.W., S.B. Hansen and E.A. Osgood. 1991. Reproductive phenologies of selected flowering plants in eastern Maine forests. ME Agric. Exp. Station Tech. Bull. 143. 17 pp.
Heinrich, B. 1976. Flowering phenologies: Bog, woodland, and disturbed habitats. Ecology. 57(5):890-899.