Jeffersonia diphylla

Native

Minnesota special concern species

Moderate moisture. Woods.

April to May

White

4″ to 8″ at flowering

This is a 4″ to 8″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises from a short, horizontal rhizome. Typically 4 to 8 leaves and a single flowering stalk are produced from each rhizome.

There are no central stems.

The leaves are all basal. They are alternate, 6″ to 7″ wide, and compound, divided into 2 kidney-shaped segments. Each leaf is borne on a 3½″ to 8″ long, slender leaf stalk. The leaf segments are untoothed and sometimes have shallow lobes. The upper surface is bluish green. The lower surface is whitish green. After flowering the leaves continue to grow, eventually reaching 7″ to 17″ in height at maturity.

The inflorescence is a solitary flower at the end of a 4″ to 8″ tall, leafless flowering stalk (scape). It is usually taller than the leaves.

The flowers are ⅜″ to 1⅛″ wide. There are 4 petal-like sepals that drop early, usually 8 white petals, and 8 stamens.

The fruit is brownish, egg-shaped or pear-shaped, leathery, capsule-like, ¾″ to 1½″ long and ⅓″ to ⅔″ wide. It has a hinged, helmet-like lid and contains 10 to 25 seeds.

The seeds have fleshy appendages attached (elaiosomes) which attract ants. The ants carry the seeds back to their nests, thus dispersing the seeds.

May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum) leaves are not compound. The flower droops from the axil of two leaves. The fruit is a yellow berry.