Ohio Outdoors: May is for mayapples

Mayapples are popping up all over Portage County. These small forest floor plants native across the eastern United States and Canada, and are one of my favorites. Mayapples spread through seeds and rhizomes, horizontal underground stems that produces new plants and roots. This allows them to form large colonies. They are easy to naturalize in shade to part shade wooded areas with decent soil and good drainage. However, they go dormant when summer arrives. That means that their umbrella like foliage disappears until spring comes again. Although many gardeners enjoy growing them, they are not considered a good border plant due to their short active season.

In spring, mayapples push their way up through last year’s leaf litter until they reach their full height of 12-18 inches. Then they untwist their leaves and spread them out like mini green beach umbrellas all over the woods. Some mayapples only have one stalk with a single leaf. However, those that split into two stalks will produce a single, white bloom of 6-9 petals and about 3 inches wide. The nodding flower hides beneath the leaves.