Canada mayflower - Species Profile
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
not listed
NatureServe
N5 - Secure
SNR - Unranked
Minnesota
not listed
Wetland Indicator Status
Great Plains
FACU - Facultative upland
Midwest
FAC - Facultative
Northcentral & Northeast
FACU - Facultative upland
Description
Canada mayflower is a 4″ to 10″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on a single stem from a spreading, thread-like rhizome. The rhizome is ¾″ to 12″ long and 1 ⁄32″ to 1 ⁄16″ wide.
Separate sterile and fertile stems are produced.
Sterile stems are short and have a single basal leaf. Fertile stems have usually 2, sometimes 3 leaves. They are erect, zigzagged, unbranched, round in cross section, hairless, 4″ to 7″ tall, and 1 ⁄32″ to ⅛″ in diameter.
The basal leaf (on a sterile stem) is held parallel to the ground at maturity in a leaf stalk (petiole) that is up to 2″ long. The blade is egg-shaped, 1¾″ to 3¼″ long, and 1¼″ to 2¼″ wide. It is deeply heart-shaped with narrow sinuses at the base and tapers to a point at the tip with straight sides along the tip. Sometimes there is a short, tail-like appendage at the tip. There are usually 3, sometimes 5, conspicuous, recessed, parallel veins. The upper surface is medium green and hairless. The lower surface is pale green and hairless or finely hairy. The margins are untoothed and sometimes have a fringe of fine hairs.
Leaves on the fertile stem are alternate. The lowest leaf is stalkless but otherwise similar to the basal leaf on a sterile stem. The uppermost leaf is on a short, 1 ⁄32″ to ¼″ long petiole and is often much narrower.
The inflorescence is a plume-like, unbranched cluster (raceme) of 12 to 24 tiny flowers at the end of the stem. The raceme is cylinder-shaped, erect, and ¾″ to 2″ long. There are usually 2 flowers, sometimes 1 or 3, at each node of the raceme.
Each flower is star-shaped and about ⅜″ wide. There are 2 petals, 2 similar, petal-like sepals (4 tepals), and 4 stamens. The tepals are conspicuous, white, 1 ⁄32″to 1⁄16″ long, and 1 ⁄32″to ⅛″ wide. The stamens have white filaments and yellow anthers. They are 1 ⁄32″ to 1⁄16″ long and protrude well beyond the petals.
The fruit is a globular, ⅛″ to ¼″ in diameter berry with 1 or 2 seeds. It is initially green mottled with red, becoming deep translucent red when ripe.
Height
4″ to 10″
Flower Color
White
Similar Species
Habitat
Moist. Deciduous and coniferous forests. Dappled sunlight to dense shade.
Ecology
Flowering
May to June
Pests and Diseases
Use
Distribution
Sources
Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 2/12/2026).
Midwest Herbaria Portal. 2026. https://midwestherbaria.org/portal/index.php. Accessed 2/12/2026.
Maianthemum canadense XXXXXX in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. Accessed 2/12/2026.
Nativity
Native
Occurrence
Common
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Subkingdom
Pteridobiotina
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Order
Asparagales (Agaves, Orchids, Irises, and Allies)
Family
Asparagaceae (Agave and Allies)
Subfamily
Nolinoideae (Dragon Tree)
Tribe
Polygonateae (True and False Solomon’s Seals)
Genus
Maianthemum (Mayflowers and False Solomon’s Seals)
Subordinate Taxa
Two varieties of Canada mayflower have been described. Plants in the eastern half of its range have a hairless lower leaf surface and a hairless margin. Plants in the west have larger leaves with a finely hairy lower leaf surface and a fringe of fine hairs on the leaf margin. Some taxonomists distinguish the latter as Maianthemum canadense var. interius, and the former as Maianthemum canadense var. canadense. Most taxonomists do not recognize any varieties.
Synonyms
Convallaria canadensis
Maianthemum canadense ssp. interius
Maianthemum canadense var. canadense
Maianthemum canadense var. carolinianum
Maianthemum canadense var. interius
Maianthemum canadense var. ovale
Maianthemum canadense var. pubescens
Maianthenum canadense
Smilacina bifolia var. canadensis
Smilacina canadensis
Smilacina canadensis var. ovalis
Smilacina canadensis var. trifolia
Smilacina eschscholtziana
Smilacina eschscholtziana
Styrandra amplexicaulis
Styrandra canadensis
Unifolium bifolium var. ovale
Unifolium bifolium var. trifolium
Unifolium canadense
Unifolium canadense var. interius
Unifolium eschscholtzianum
Unifolium eschscholtzianum
Common Names
Canada bead-ruby
Canada may-lily
Canada mayflower
false lily-of-the-Valley
two-leaf Solomon’s seal
two-leaf-Solomon’s-seal
twoleaved Solomonseal
wild lily-of-the-Valley
