Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple

Ohio Native Plant Natural Range

Visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website to view the natural range of Podophyllum peltatum
Right off a bicycle trail in Ohio were lots Mayapples growing in the shade with other pink and white wildflowers
Western Reserve Green Way Trail, Ohio
Three huge Podophyllum peltatum plants very close together. They look like little, green umbrellas
Mayapple look like little green umbrellas


Cultivation Information Mayapple


Height – 8 to 16 inch
Flower Color – WhiteBlooms – May - JuneSun - Shade/filtered sunHardy Zone – 3 to 9
Soil – moist/ wet
Family – Berberidaceae
Organic Material - Mayapples do best with an abundance of leaf humus - organic material
Use – Deciduous ground cover for large and tough areas
A patch of Podophyllum peltatum growing in pots in a small greenhouse
Mayapple thrive growing in clusters

Wildlife Significance Mayapple

Pollinated - By Bumblebees and other long-tongued bees
Seeds- Are eaten by box turtles and small mammals
Deer- Are not fond of Mayapples
For more detailed information on this plant visit the Illinois Wildflower website
Propagation Notes Podophyllum peltatum
Reuven Martin, inaturlist.org - Public Domain - no copy right
What looks like two stuffed grape leaves standing on their ends are two Mayapple unfolding in the spring.
Look for Mayapples poking through the leaves early in the spring
What looks like a small green plum is really a oval shaped fruit of a Mayapple.
Seedpod forming after the delicate white flower falls to the forest floor
Seed Provenance Podophyllum peltatum
Hickory Road Gardens, root stock, Mosinee, WI - 2012 - Nodding Onion Gardens - 2017, Seed Provenance - Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 2011