Missouri Department of Conservation
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Mayapple (Mandrake)

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Podophyllum peltatum
Family: 
Berberidaceae (barberries)
Description: 

Flowers: single flowers develop only on plants with 2 leaves from the axil of the leaf stems, white, with 6–9 waxy, spreading petals, a green, clublike pistil, to 3 inches across. A rare pink form exists. Blooms March–May. Leaves large, to 1 foot wide, with many deep notches to near middle of leaf, the segments with coarse teeth, arising from a smooth stem to 1½ feet tall. Fruit a “may apple,” egg-shaped, to 2 inches long, pale green to yellow, botanically a berry. Plants with only 1 leaf will not flower or fruit; plants with 2 or 3 leaves form flowers and fruits.

Size: 
Height: 1 to 1½ feet.
Habitat and conservation: 
Occurs in moist or dry, open woods, ledges of bluffs, sometimes persisting in fields and pastures or on roadsides adjacent to woods. Often found growing in small colonies.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Statewide.
Human connections: 
Leaves, stems and roots are poisonous but have medicinal use, with one derivative used as a treatment for cancer. The ripe fruits are edible with a pleasant taste and can be eaten raw or made into beverages, jellies and preserves. Handling rootstocks can cause dermatitis in some people.
Ecosystem connections: 
The closest relatives of mayapple growing in Missouri are shrubs, including the introduced Japanese barberry (an ornamental that escapes cultivation) and two native barberries that are rarely encountered. Details of flower and fruit anatomy reflect plant relationships better than leaves and stems.

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