Kingdom Plantae Clade Monocots Family Asparagaceae Scientific name Maianthemum stellatum Rank Species | Clade Angiosperms Order Asparagales Subfamily Nolinoideae Higher classification Maianthemum | |
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Similar Maianthemum, Maianthemum racemosum, Maianthemum canadense, Maianthemum dilatatum, Trillium ovatum | ||
Maianthemum stellatum (star-flowered, starry, or little false Solomon's seal, or simply false Solomon's seal; star-flowered lily-of-the-valley or starry false lily of the valley; syn. Smilacina stellata) is a species of flowering plant, native across North America generally from Alaska to California to North Carolina to Newfoundland, plus northern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León). It has been found in every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut, and from every US state except Hawaii and the states of the Southeast. It has little white buds in the spring, followed by delicate starry flowers, then green-and-black striped berries, and finally deep red berries in the fall.
Maianthemum stellatum is a woodland herbaceous perennial plant, smaller than its close relative M. racemosum. For comparison, M. stellatum has smaller, more open inflorescences, flowers with stamens shorter rather than longer than the petals, and somewhat narrower and more curved leaves. Both species show the characteristic zigzag of the stem between the alternate leaves. True Solomon's seal (Polygonatum species) have a similar overall appearance, but the flowers hang from the stem underneath the leaves, rather than forming a terminal cluster.
