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Species
Berberidaceae
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Mixed deciduous forest, fields, moist road banks, river banks; 50-800m.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500972 |
The following forms have been described:
Podophyllum peltatum forma aphyllum Plitt--fertile shoots with no foliage leaves; Podophyllum peltatum forma biltmoreanum Steyermark--fruits orange; Podophyllum peltatum forma deamii Raymond--fruits and seeds maroon, and flowers, placentae, and plant axes pink-tinged; Podophyllum peltatum forma polycarpum (Clute) Plitt--flowers with multiple, free carpels.
The ripe fruit of Podophyllum peltatum is considered edible; all other parts of the plant are toxic. Several lignans and their glycosides, present in the resin extracted from rhizomes and roots, exhibit antitumor activity. Etoposide, a semisynthetic derivative of one of the lignans, is currently used in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer and testicular cancer (P. M. Dewick 1983). Native Americans used Podophyllum for a wide variety of medicinal purposes and as an insecticide (D. E. Moerman 1986).
Podophyllum peltatum is sometimes cultivated in woodland gardens, and some populations on the periphery of its geographical range may be escapes from cultivation.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500972 |
Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)
(Long-tongued bees suck nectar, collect pollen, or explore the flowers; observations are from Robertson and Motten; Robertson assumed that the flowers produced nectar, but Motten states that the flowers are nectarless)
Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera cp (Rb); Apidae (Bombini): Bombus bimaculatus cp/exp (Mtt), Bombus griseocallis sn (Rb), Bombus impatiens sn (Rb), Bombus pensylvanica sn (Rb); Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Synhalonia speciosa sn (Rb); Anthophoridae (Xylocopini): Xylocopa virginica cp/exp (Mtt)
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2015 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects//plants/mayapple.htm |
Podophyllum peltatum is a distinct, one or two large leaved, 1 to 2 ft (30 to 60 cm) tall perennial forb, often in clones. Leaves: Leaves are peltate, meaning the long stem is attached in the center of the leaf, giving it an ‘umbrella’ appearance. Plants have just one leaf if they are not in the flowering stage; reproductive plants have two leaves. Leaves themselves have 5 to 9 deeply divided lobes. Each leaf can be up to 1 in (30 cm) long. They are a light to deep green, hairless, and appear rubbery. Flowers: Each reproductive plant bears a single white, 6 to 9-parted (petaled), 1 to 2.5 in (2.5 to 6.25 cm) wide flower, which droops downward from the junction of the two leaves. Petals are rounded at the top, and overlap each other. The reproductive parts of the flower are yellow. The flower is very fragrant. Fruits: A fleshy green to yellow berry, 1 to 2 in (2 to 5 cm), with many seeds. The mayapple gets its’ common name by the resemblance of this berry to a small apple. Habitat: Moist woodlands in partial shade. Ontario to Nova Scotia, south from Florida to Texas. Bloom time: May, as the name suggests.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Project BudBurst data is provided by thousands of observers from across the country. Please cite your use of the data and recognize our observers with the following community attribution: Project BudBurst. 2015. Project BudBurst: An online database of plant phenological observations. Project BudBurs |
Source | http://budburst.org/mostwanted |
The flowers are cross-pollinated by bumblebees and other long-tongued bees. These insects collect pollen and possibly suck nectar. The larvae of a sawfly, Aglaostigma quattuordecimpunctatum, feed on the leaves of Mayapple (Smith, 2006). Adults of a thrips, Ctenothrips bridwelli, have been found on the foliage (Stannard, 1968). The foliage of Mayapple is avoided by mammalian herbivores because of its poisonous qualities and bitter taste. The seeds and rhizomes are also poisonous. The berries are edible if they are fully ripe; they are eaten by box turtles and possibly by such mammals as opossums, raccoons, and skunks. The seeds are distributed to new locations in the feces of these animals. Photographic Location
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/mayapple.htm |
In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / spot causer
epiphyllous, rather scattered pycnidium of Phomopsis coelomycetous anamorph of Phomopsis podophylli causes spots on fading leaf of Podophyllum peltatum
Foodplant / spot causer
amphigenous, gregarious, usually on the veins pycnidium of Phyllosticta coelomycetous anamorph of Phyllosticta podophylli causes spots on live leaf of Podophyllum peltatum
Remarks: season: 9
The genus Berberis, commonly known as the barberries, includes 700 species of shrubby plants found throughout temperate and subtropical Eurasia, Africa and the Americas. About 200 of these have compound leaves, and traditionally have been classified as a separate genus, Mahonia, but more recent molecular analyses indicate that this separation is not founded and that the simple leaved group (true Berberis) is polyphyletic with respect to the compound leaf group (Kim et al. 2004 and studies cited within). Species numbers are in debate, and efforts are ongoing to compile a complete list and database of taxa (Ulloa 2014). Berberis is the largest of the 16 genera in the basal eudicot family Berberidaceae (Kim et al. 2004).
Species diversity is greatest in South America, Africa and Asia; Europe and North America have native species as well. The most well-known Berberis species is the “European” barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common from North Africa and Europe through central Asia. Barberries have been cultivated for gardens; several of the most common cultivars are: B. darwinii, B. dictyophylla, B. julianae, B. thunbergii, and B. verruculosa (Wikipedia 2014).
Barberry species grow to between 1-5 meters (3-15 feet) in height, and there are deciduous and evergreen species. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and along the margins of the leaves. Many produce small berries, either elongate or spherical, that are edible and nutritious, if sharply sour. While not common in European cuisine, Iranian dishes frequently use the berries of B. vulgaris. The symbols of Patagonia are Calafate (B. microphylla and the similar B. heterophylla), and Michay (B. darwinii), the dark blue berries of which are made into jams and eaten fresh in Argentina and Chile. Bark, root bark and berries of Barberry species have a long history of medicinal use in multiple cultures for symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, upset stomach. Active chemical components are isoquinolone alkaloids, especially berberine, which shows antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, sedative, anticonvulsant and antioxidant effects (Wikipedia 2014; Erlich 2013).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Dana Campbell, Dana Campbell |
Source | No source database. |
Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.
Estimated Number of Occurrences: 81 to >300
Comments: Probably tens or hundreds of thousands of populations are extant rangewide. Connecticut: 1?; Iowa: several dozen to hundreds; Indiana: thousands; Kansas: >100; Maryland: hundreds; North Carolina: thousands; Nebraska: 25-50?, 2 known; New Hampshire: 1?; Rhode Island: 2 (introduced); South Carolina: hundreds; Tennessee: several hundred or perhaps thousands; Vermont: 2; Quebec: 7 (5 likely introduced by Native Americans, 2 in old gardens) (Brumback and Mehrhoff 1996, APSU 1999).
Since this is such a common species throughout much of its range, these numbers can only be estimates. Additional information on species distribution and the number of populations can be gleaned from county occurrence dot maps (USDA-NRCS 1999).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Podophyllum+peltatum |
Herbs or shrubs, sometimes spiny (Berberis). Leaves alternate, simple or compound. Inflorescence a raceme or flowers solitary; flowers actinomorphic, bisexual. Sepals and petals overlapping in 2 or more rows; petals often modified to nectaries. Anthers opening by 2 apical hinged valves. Ovary superior, 1-locular. Fruit a berry or capsule.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe |
Source | http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/family.php?family_id=247 |
It is possible that North Carolina populations seldom set fruit, and that reproduction from seed may be rare (Schafale pers. comm.). Only rarely have fruit been observed in North Carolina, in contrast with abundant ripe fruit observed in southern Illinois (Schafale pers. comm.).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Podophyllum+peltatum |