False Solomon Seal, Maianthemum stellatum

About False Solomon Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) 15 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Maianthemum stellatum (False Solomon's Seal) is a species of flowering plant in the family Ruscaceae, native across North America generally from Alaska to California in the west and from Newfoundland to the central Appalachian Mountains in the east. In California it is found primarily in the Coast Ranges and Sierras. An everchanging seasonal plant with little white buds in the spring, followed by delicate starry flowers, then stripy berries and deep red berries in the fall. It is a woodland herbaceous perennial plant, smaller than its close relative M. racemosum. This is a plant for full shade areas.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

2.5 ft tall
1 - 2 ft wide

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Deciduous

Flower Color

White, Red

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

American Angle Shades Euplexia benesimilisEuplexia benesimilis

White Triangle Tortrix Clepsis persicanaClepsis persicana

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Shade, Part Shade

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 15

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Prefers rich, loose, but well-drained soils with lots of humus. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Common uses

Deer Resistant

Companion Plants

Use in a shaded woodland garden with various tree species, native ferns, Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum), and other shade-loving plants. Also goes well with columbine, foamflower, ferns, and baneberries. Plant along paths with Bleeding Hearts.

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 6 mos. cold, 3 mos. warm, and 5 mos. cold stratification.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Woodlands

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.9" - 153.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.19" - 5.57", Coldest Month: 22.7" - 54.1", Hottest Month: 45.7" - 77.4", Humidity: 0.02" - 29.64", Elevation: 3" - 10562"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Smilacina stellata
Common Names: Little False-solomon's-seal, Nuttall's Solomon's Seal, Panicled False Solomon's-seal, Slim Solomon, Star-flowered False-solomon's-seal, Starry False Lily Of The Valley

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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 Solomon Seal

Maianthemum stellatum

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False Solomon SealMaianthemum stellatum

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False Solomon Seal

Maianthemum stellatum