Maianthemum racemosum

Species of flowering plant

Maianthemum racemosum, the treacleberry, feathery false lily of the valley, false Solomon's seal, Solomon's plume

M. racemosum closely resembles members of the genus Veratrum, a highly toxic group of plants to which it is distantly related, as well as baneberry.

The Flora of North America recognizes two subspecies: amplexicaule (Nuttall) LaFrankie and racemosum.

The Latin specific epithet racemosum means "with flowers that appear in racemes", which can cause confusion as the inflorescence is a panicle; it is the individual branches of the panicle that have flowers arranged in a raceme.

The species is widespread, found in all Canadian provinces and territories except the Yukon and Nunavut, all US states except Hawaii, and in Northern Mexico. Subsp. amplexicaule has been found in western Canada in Alta, B. C., N. W. T., Sask. ; and in the western US in Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N. Mex., N. Dak., Oreg., S. Dak., Tex., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

The plant, like the closely related Polygonatum (Solomon's seal), is suitable for cultivation in moist, humus rich soil in a woodland setting or in dappled shade. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Because it resembles plants of the highly toxic Veratrum genus, The plant becomes fibrous and bitter after it completes flowering and seed setting, but the tender young shoots can be stripped of their leaves, simmered in water and eaten. Their delicate flavor is somewhat reminiscent of asparagus. The ripe fruits are edible raw or cooked but may be poor in taste. They can be laxative if consumed in large quantities. Ojibwa harvested the roots of this plant and cooked them in lye water overnight to remove the bitterness and neutralize their strong laxative qualities. Native Americans boiled the roots to make tea for medicinal purposes, including to treat rheumatism, kidney issues, and wounds and back injuries.