Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
Umbrella leaves in eastern woods. Only the fully ripe fruit is traditionally eaten by some; unripe fruit and all other parts are toxic. Not mayhaw.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
What it is
Umbrella leaves in eastern woods. Only the fully ripe fruit is traditionally eaten by some; unripe fruit and all other parts are toxic. Not mayhaw.
Identification
One or two large umbrella leaves; a single white flower under the leaves on two-leaf plants.
Edible portions
- fully ripe fruit only, and not as a beginner forage
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 4–8 woodland
- Light. Shade
- Soil. Woods, moist
- Planting. A colony from rhizomes. Ornamental/native.
- Harvest. Most people should not. Fully ripe (soft, yellow) fruit is the only traditional edible part.
Safety
- Unripe fruit, roots, and leaves are toxic. This is not a salad plant. Do not make ‘mayapple tea.’
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class B. Good foundation: enough unique information to exist as its own destination.