''Maianthemum trifolium'' (Three-leaf Solomon's-seal, three-leaf Solomon's-plume, threeleaf false lily of the valley, smilacine trifoliée) is a species of
flowering plant that is associated with extremely wet environments and is native to
Canada and the northeastern
United States as well as
St. Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (french: link=no, Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon ), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in t ...
and Asia (Siberia).
Description
It is a
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
perennial plant growing erect, tall. It grows off spreading
sympodial rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
s with roots found only at nodes. New plants produce two
petiolate
Petiole may refer to:
*Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem
*Petiole (insect anatomy)
In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, a ...
foliage leaves the first year,
then a flowering shoot the second year with 2-4 sessile leaves.
Leaves
Fertile plants have 2-4 alternate leaves that are elliptic, long and broad.
Leaf bases are narrowly tapered and tips pointed.
Flowering clusters
5 to 15
flowers are produced on a simple
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
long. There is only one flower per node, set on a long
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
.
Flowers and fruits
Flowers are
trimerous, that is, flower parts are in groups of three. Each flower has 6 white
tepals long. Fruits are
berries wide, mottled with fine red spots when young, maturing to red. Berries contain 1-3 small, rounded seeds. Flowering is May to June, berries remain on plants into September.
Distribution
Found in all Canadian provinces and territories and in the USA in some northeastern states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin). Also found in St. Pierre and Miquelon and Asia (Siberia).
Habitat and ecology
''Maianthemum trifolium'' often forms dense patches in wet forests,
sphagnum bogs and other wetlands and is sometimes considered to be aquatic.
Gallery
File:Maianthemum trifolium.jpg, plants with flowers
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q19852502
trifolium
Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...
Flora of Canada
Flora of the Northeastern United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status