E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia
Maianthemum dilatatum (Alph. Wood) A. Nelson & J.F. Macbr. false lily-of-the-valley (false lily of the valley; two-leaved false Solomon's-seal) Asparagaceae (Previously in Liliaceae)
General: Perennial herb from a slender rhizome; stems 10-35 cm tall, smooth.
Leaves: Leaves of flowering stems 1 to 3 (usually 2), alternate, broadly heart- to arrowhead-shaped, distinctly heart-shaped at the base, 5-12 cm long, about as wide, on 2- to 10-cm long stalks, smooth above and beneath, the margins entire, rough short-hairy; basal leaves lacking.
Flowers: Inflorescence a loose, cylindrical, terminal cluster of several to many spreading flowers; flowers cream to white, wheel-shaped, 5-8 mm across, of 4 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals oblong, blunt, 2- 3 mm long, becoming reflexed; stamens 4, shorter than tepals; pistil 1, 2-chambered.
Fruits: Berries, globe-shaped, spotted, red, 5-6 mm wide; seeds 1 to 4.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
A shade-tolerant and ocean spray-tolerant, submontane to subalpine, Western North American forb distributed more in the Pacific than the Cordilleran region. Occurs in cool mesothermal climates on very moist to wet, nitrogen-rich soils (Moder or Mull humus forms); its occurrence decreases with increasing elevation and continentality. Scattered to plentiful in coniferous and broad-leaved forests on water-receiving and water-collecting sites, commonly found on stream-edge sites, floodplains, and sites affected by ocean spray. Grows with Blechnum spicant, Polystichum munitum, Tiarella trifoliata, 7rautvetteria caroliniensis, and Lysichitum americanum. Characteristic of alluvial floodplain forests.
