Common Name: false Solomon's seal
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asparagaceae
Native Range: China to Vietnam
Zone: 5 to 8
Height: 1.50 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: White to pale yellow
Sun: Part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Fruit: Showy
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist, well-draining, humusy loams in part shade. Hardy in Zones 5-8.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Maianthemum henryi, commonly called false Solomon's seal, is a rhizomatous perennial native to stream banks, wooded thickets, and other moist, shady habitats in central to southern China, northern Myanmar, and Vietnam at mid to high altitudes between 4,250-13,000'. Mature plants can reach up to 3' tall and spread to fill a 2' area. The ovate to ellipic leaves can reach up to 8" long and 4" wide and have short petioles (leaf stalks). The stems have a layer of short hairs and are topped with 3-5" long, arching, branched racemes of blooms in spring. The small, fragrant, tubular flowers are pale yellow to white and reach around 0.25" long. Small, round fruits ripen to red or orange and are also showy.
Genus name comes from the Greek words Maios meaning "May" and anthemon meaning "blossom".
The specific epithet henryi honors Augustine Henry (8157-1930), a plant collector who specialized in Chinese flora and sent samples of this plant to the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in 1886.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems.
Uses
Woodland gardens, mixed shade borders. Plant near path edges or entrance ways to enjoy the fragrant blooms more easily.