Maianthemum canadense Desf.
wild lily-of-the-valley (Canada mayflower; Canadian mayflower)
Asparagaceae
(Previously in Liliaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
wild lily-of-the-valley (Canada mayflower; Canadian mayflower)
Asparagaceae
(Previously in Liliaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a slender rhizome; stems 5-25 cm tall, hairy at least in the upper part.
Leaves:
Leaves of flowering stems 2 to 3, alternate, egg-shaped, rounded to somewhat heart-shaped at the base, 3-10 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, short-stalked to nearly unstalked, smooth above, hairy beneath, the margins entire, fringed with long hairs; basal leaves lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a loose, cylindrical, terminal cluster of several to many spreading flowers; flowers cream to white, wheel-shaped, 4-6 mm across, of 4 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals oblong, blunt, about 2 mm long, becoming reflexed; stamens 4, shorter than tepals; pistil 1, 2-chambered.
Fruits:
Berries, globe-shaped, at first green mottled with brown, then pale red, 3-4 mm wide; seeds 1 or 2.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Maianthemum canadense
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)
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)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
760 | 6 | 1700 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
11 | 0 | 82 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
276 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 1 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
946 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(412), CWH(5), ESSF(16), ICH(83), IDF(3), MS(3), SBPS(1), SBS(340), SWB(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic forests and clearings in the montane zone; frequent in E BC, north of 53degreeN; N to NT, E to NF and S to ME, PA, NC, GA, TN, IA, NE and WY.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Maianthemum canadense var. interius Fernald
Maianthemum canadense var. pubescens Gates & Ehlers
Unifolium canadense (Desf.) Greene