Podophyllum pleianthum
Chinese mayapple (Podophyllum pleianthum) is an exotic-looking perennial. Upright stems appear in spring bearing large, starfish-shaped green leaves with a glossy sheen. Clusters of deep-red flowers turn first to silver, then finally into yellow egg-shaped fruits. This unusual plant with its dramatic leaves lights up a woodland garden. A lover of rich moist soil, it eventually grows to a width and height of 1 m/3 ft.
Chinese mayapple is native to central and southeastern China as well as Taiwan. It was once a common plant in Taiwan but is now rare and endangered from over-collecting in the wild. Chinese mayapple has many uses in traditional Chinese medicine from treating snakebite to tumors.
It is a close cousin to our native mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum. But unlike our native mayapple, Chinese mayapple doesn’t go dormant until fall. We get to enjoy its handsome scalloped leaves throughout the summer. While our native mayapple spreads by rhizomes, Chinese mayapple grows in clumps. This makes it easier to control in a garden. Both are highly poisonous plants though. Only their ripe fruit can be eaten. More information on North American natives and their closely related Asian cousins.
If you have a sensitive nose, it is good to know that Chinese mayapple is pollinated by flies. Flies are attracted to bad odours. Chinese mayapple has perfected the smell of old socks. Once pollination season is over, you are safe to give it a sniff. The pictures were taken in May, 2024, in bed 96A on the border of the Backyard Bird Garden.
Text and photos by Hughie Jones.