[Wild Lilies-of-the-valley, False Solomon's Seal and Solomon Plumes: The Genus Maianthemum West of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium kamtschaticum

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

False-lily-of-the-valley as seen at left under the conifers at the base of Saddle Mountain in the Coast Range of northwestern Oregon..............June 14, 2009. The photo at right shows green but maturing fruits of false lily-of-the-valley under the canopy of the shore pine-sitka spruce forest at Sitka Sedge State Natural Area, Oregon coast.....July 28, 2022.

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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium kamtschaticum)The photo at right shows false lily-of-the-valley as seen at Larch Mt.............. June 30,1993.
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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium 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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium 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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium kamtschaticum)

False lily-of-the-valley as seen along the Cape Arago Trail at Shore Acres State Park.........April 19, 2016.

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

False-lily-of-the-valley as seen (left) under the conifers at Manhattan Beach State Recreation Site on the northern Oregon coast..............May 22, 2009. The photo at right shows the leaves of false-lily-of-the-valey under the conifers at Bayocean Spit, western Tillamook Bay, Oregon coast.......April 16, 2017.

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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium kamtschaticum) - 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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium kamtschaticum)

False lily-of-the-valley blooming at left along forest trails behind the big dunes on Bayocean Spit, western Tillamook Bay, Oregon coast......May 17, 2023. The image at right shows the maturing fruits of false lily-of-the-valley as seen in open conifer woods behind the foredune at Sitka Sedge State Natural Area......August 4, 2024.

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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium 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. dilatatum, Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Maianthemum kamtschaticum, Unifolium dilatatum, Unifolium kamtschaticum)

False Lily-of-the-valley at left at Larch Mountain, Mt. Hood National Forest, mid June, 1988. The photo at right shows false lily-of-the-valley in bloom in the webmaster's garden in Gresham, OR.......May 9, 2018.
Paul Slichter