False Lily Of The Vally, Maianthemum dilatatum

About False Lily Of The Vally (Maianthemum dilatatum) 8 Nurseries Carry This Plant

Add to My Plant List

Maianthemum dilatatum (Two-leaved Solomon's Seal or False Lily of the Valley) is a common rhizomatous perennial flowering plant in the Ruscaceae Butcher's Broom) family. It is native to western North America from northern California to the Aleutian islands, and Asia across the Kamchatka Peninsula, Japan, and Korea. It grows in coastal temperate rainforests, and is often the dominant groundcover plant in Sitka Spruce forests. The plant produces an erect, unbranched stem up to about 40 centimeters tall. A non-flowering shoot bears one smooth, waxy, shiny leaf up to 10 centimeters long and 5 to 8 broad, hence its scientific name (dilatatum means 'broad'). On plants that are flowering, 2 or 3 leaves are produced oppositely on the stems. The leaf is oval in shape with a heart-shaped base. Although it can be a vigorous spreader where conditions are right (shady and damp), it makes a good groundcover for shady northern gardens.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

1.3 ft tall

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

White

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

American Angle Shades Euplexia benesimilisEuplexia benesimilis

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Shade, Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 8

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Prefers rich, loose, but well-drained soils with lots of humus. Soil PH: 4.5 - 7.5

Common uses

Groundcovers

Companion Plants

This plant is best used in a damp shade garden with similar plants such as Heuchera sp., ferns, Meadow Rue (Thalictrum sp.), Western Dichondra (Dichondra occidentalis), Wild Ginger (Asarum sp.), and Brook Foam (Boykinia occidentalis)

Sunset Zones?

4*, 5*, 6, 7, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Moist, shady evergreen forests

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 29.7" - 81.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.38" - 2.23", Coldest Month: 42.1" - 48.8", Hottest Month: 56.0" - 66.6", Humidity: 0.01" - 11.89", Elevation: 4" - 1198"

Alternative Names

Common Names: False Lily Of The Valley, False Lily-of-the-valley, Pacific May-lily, Twoleaf Solomon Seal

Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label

Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

False Lily Of The Vally

Maianthemum dilatatum

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

False Lily Of The VallyMaianthemum dilatatum

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

False Lily Of The Vally

Maianthemum dilatatum