I forgot to say that false solomon’s seal was formerly in the family Liliaceae, but is now in Asparagaceae. There are 2 subspecies of Maianthemum racemosum. The subspecies out here in the mountainous forests of the western U.S. is amplexicaule, so it reads like this: Maianthemum racemosum subsp. amplexicaule. Yay! And between the 2 subspecies this plant can be found all over North America…all over…and into a bit of northern Mexico. So where ever you are, look in the rich damp soil of a mountain forest under story.
And doesn’t “rich damp soil” sound glorious? It almost makes me want to create a forest garden with that kind of soil and shade here at our place. Nah, I think I’ll just enjoy seeing this beautiful native in habitat.
The photos are mine and taken on the day described in this episode. Do you see the maple leaves?
Growing Native- Black Swallowtail The scientific name of the black swallowtail is Papilio polyxenes. Papilio is Latin for butterfly and the specific epithet polyxenes...
This is a rambling episode about the summer monsoon in the borderlands of southeastern Arizona. I know that I’ve rambled on like this for...
Berberis fremontii is in the Barberry family or Berberidaceae…that’s fun to pronounce. Fremont barberry has quite a range north of the Salt River in...