Mike Powell

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) are woodland plants with large umbrella-shaped leaves. Instead of having flowers above the leaves, like most plants, mayapple plants have flowers that grow on the stems below the leaves, like this one that I photographed last week at Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Mayapples typically grow in colonies that originate from a single root. Most of the mayapple plants that I see have only a single stem and are infertile. The fertile ones, which are fairly uncommon, have a pair of leaves on a branched stem and a single flower grows at the junction spot where the branching occurs.

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