Alternate name: False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley
Family: Liliaceae, Lily view all from this family
Description The short, often zigzag stem has a small, dense, cluster of tiny, white, star-shaped flowers at its top and 1-3 ovate leaves.
Flowers: about 1/6" (4 mm) long; petals 2; petal-like sepals 2; stamens 4.
Leaves: 1-3" (2.5-7.5 cm) long; heart-shaped at base.
Fruit: berries, initially green, but turning a speckled, dull red in late summer and red in fall.
Height: 2-6" (5-15 cm).
Flower May-June.
Habitat Upland woods, clearings.
Range Manitoba to Labrador, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia; south to New England, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and in the mountains, to Georgia and Tennessee; west to Iowa.
Discussion This common forest herb spreads by rhizomes and frequently forms carpet-like colonies. An unusual member of the Lily Family, it has only 2 petals, 2 sepals, and 4 stamens instead of the usual 3-3-6 pattern. A somewhat similar plant, Three-leaved Solomon's Seal (Smilacina trifolia), usually has 3 elliptic leaves which taper at the base and white floral parts in a 6-pointed, star-like pattern. It is found in wet, boggy, or mossy areas from New Jersey west to Minnesota and north into Canada.
