Podophyllum peltatum is one of the truly great eastern US spring woodland ephemerals. Emerging in early spring, the green “umbrella” pushes out of the ground and then expands like a flat, open-sectioned green parasol. The emerging mayapple foliage is often highlighted with liver-colored blotching. When the plant matures, each stem will produce a silver dollar-sized white flower held just below the leaf. Podophyllum peltatum is stoloniferous and, in time, can form very large colonies so don’t plant it near choice gems that will be swallowed. Podophyllum peltatum prefers moist soil, but will grow just fine albeit slightly slower in dry soils. The plants go dormant in midsummer to rest from the summer heat…sounds like a good idea to me.
