Released April 11, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- April means mayapples in Arkansas.
"This is the time of year mayapples begin to emerge," said Dr. Tamara Walkingstick, an extension forester and associate professor with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
These curious plants, which produce an edible fruit, resemble little green umbrellas that pop up from the forest floor.
"They like moist, rich soil, which makes forested valleys the perfect place for mayapples to grow," she said.
When it comes to fruiting, the mayapple takes its time.
"The mayapple takes seven years to produce a fruit," Walkingstick says. "After years of growing and maturing, it then has a little white flower – maybe two – that will produce fruit."
After which, the plant goes out in style.
"It dies after fruiting," she says. "They’re gone by June or July."
The mayapple grows in colonies. All of the plants are clones connected by their roots.
The fruits, which have a taste like lemons and bananas, can be eaten raw or made into jelly.
"However, except for the ripened fruit, the mayapple is toxic," Walkingstick says. "However, it has been used medicinally."
Cherokees used the roots and rhizomes to get rid of parasitic intestinal worms and to induce vomiting, she said, adding that the Penobscots used them to treat cancer.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/april2008/0411mayapples.htm
Contact: Mary F. Hightower, (501) 671-2126, mhightower@uaex.edu
