[Wild Lilies-of-the-valley, False Solomon's Seal and Solomon Plumes of the Cascade Mountains]

False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby

Maianthemum dilatatum

Synonyms: Maianthemum bifolium, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum

False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby: Maianthemum dilatatum (Synonyms: Maianthemum bifolium, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum)

False-lily-of-the-valley as seen in the webmaster's woodland garden in Gresham, OR.........May 11, 2009.
CHARACTERISTICS:

1. Flowering stems with one to three broadly ovate, heart-shaped leaves. Leaf veins parallel.

2. Up to 25 flowers occupy the one to three inch stem, forming a raceme.

3. Flowers have 4 petals (petal/sepal combination), which is unique for the normally 3 tepaled lily family.

4. Fruit is a berry, green at first, then developing reddish spots, then becoming all red.

HABITAT:

Moist woods from sea level to near timberline in the Cascade Range.

RANGE:

The false lily-of-the-valley is found from Alaska south along the Pacific coast to California. It is found inland to central British Columbia and south to northern Idaho.

USES:

The false lily-of-the-valley is an attractive ground cover, but one must use caution when utilizing this plant as it may spread widely (via underground rhizomes) and may thus be hard to eradicate if one determines it has become a pest.

False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby: Maianthemum dilatatum (Synonyms: Maianthemum bifolium, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum)

False lily-of-the-valley with flower buds as seen along the Lewis River Trail #31 about one mile upstream of Bolt Camp Shelter, Gifford Pinchot National Forest..........May 3, 2015.

Fruits of False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby: Maianthemum dilatatum (Synonyms: Maianthemum bifolium, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum) - False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby: Maianthemum dilatatum (Synonyms: Maianthemum bifolium, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum)

False lily-of-the-valley with maturing fruits as seen at left along the Toutle and Sheep Canyon Trails, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument..........August 20, 2017. The photo at right shows the developing fruits of false lily-of-the-valley as seen along the Green River Trail #213, Mt. St. Helens National Monument......September 4, 2019.

Maturing fruits of False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby: Maianthemum dilatatum (Synonyms: Maianthemum bifolium, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum) - Maturing fruits of False Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby: Maianthemum dilatatum (Synonyms: Maianthemum bifolium, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum)

Maturing fruits of false lily-of-the-valley as seen along the Loowit Trail #216 in old growth forest where the trail descends west towards the south side of the South Fork Toutle River, Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument..........October 19, 2014.
Paul Slichter