[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

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

False-lily-of-the-valley as seen under the conifers at the base of Saddle Mountain in the Coast Range of northwestern Oregon..............June 14, 2009.
The photo at right shows false lily-of-the-valley as sen 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.

alse Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley, Two-leaf False Solomon's-seal, Beadruby: Maianthemum dilatatum

False-lily-of-the-valley as seen under the conifers at Manhattan Beach State Recreation Site on the northern Oregon coast..............May 22, 2009.

False Lily-of-the-valley at Larch Mountain, mid June, 1988.
Paul Slichter