False Solomon's Seal

The river trail at Hacklebarney State Park was lined with False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum). The plant gets its English name from the resemblance of its stem and leaves to those of Solomon's Seal. However, instead of having flowers hanging underneath the stem, False Solomon's Seal bears a cluster of flowers at the tip of the stem, more like those of a Canada Mayflower, a flower in the same genus. All of the False Solomon's Seal plants that I saw had already passed the flowering stage and were starting to produce berries. Young berries are green with red stripes or speckles; as the fruits ripen, they will turn deep red.