Podophyllum peltatum Seeds | Mayapple Root
(1).jpeg "Mayapple seeds (Podophyllum peltatum)")
LATIN NAME: Podophyllum peltatum
COMMON NAME: Mayapple
Plant Profile
Podophyllum peltatum — Mayapple — is a species with genuine garden merit. Mayapple is a fine, umbrella-leaved plant of the eastern woodlands, and its single, great, round, deeply lobed umbrella of a leaf has made it a familiar of the spring woods for a very long time. Plant has a long and careful record in traditional practice of region, and roots are well studied. It is a fine, easy plant of cool, moist, shaded woodland garden. In combination, these characteristics make a persuasive case for growing it.
Science & Biotechnology
Mayapple is a plant to admire at a distance. Its resin contains podophyllotoxin, a lignan so cytotoxic that it arrests cell division by binding tubulin; semi-synthetic derivatives of it — etoposide and teniposide — became standard chemotherapy agents for lung cancer and leukaemias, making this woodland herb the ancestor of drugs still in daily hospital use. The plant itself is dangerously toxic: all parts except the fully ripe fruit pulp can cause severe gastroenteritis, neuropathy and bone-marrow suppression. It belongs in the native-plant garden, never in the home pharmacy.
Within the Podophyllum group, Podophyllum peltatum is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Mayapple has a well-documented place in plant science, and roots and rhizomes have been studied for a long time for their place in traditional practice of the region. From a research perspective, species of this kind are valuable material for work on propagation and on the selection of uniform lines.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Mayapple for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Mayapple is grown for fine, umbrella-like leaves and nodding, white flower. Great, round, deeply lobed leaves make a bold, handsome ground cover of spring woodland, and lemon-yellow fruit is a fine food for wildlife of the woods. The whole plant is best admired in the garden and left for the wildlife, and it is a fine, easy plant of the cool, moist, shaded woodland garden. Once it has its roots down, it more or less looks after itself.
Mayapple is a fascinating, dangerous native: its resin yields podophyllotoxin, parent of the anticancer drugs etoposide and teniposide. The plant itself is toxic in all green parts and belongs to science and the shade garden.
Growing from Seed
Mayapple grows readily from seed. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Mayapple repays a little patience at sowing time with plenty of garden presence later.
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Related Reading
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