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Maianthemum

Maianthemum
Family: Asparagaceae
Maianthemum image
Max Licher
  • FNA
  • Gleason & Cronquist
  • Resources
Frederick H. Utech in Flora of North America (vol. 26)


Outside the flora area, Maianthemum may be epiphytic, with foliage stems pendent or erect; two species are dioecious; tepals may be fused, the perianth campanulate; and tepals and anthers may be pink, green, or violet.

The two species of Maianthemum that bear 4-tepaled flowers, M. canadense and M. dilatatum, are very similar to one another and to the boreal Eurasian species M. bifolium (Linnaeus) F. W. Schmidt, and the three have sometimes been considered varieties of a single species. In most recent floristic works, the genus Maianthemum has been limited to these three species because of their reduced flowers, whereas the remaining species, which bear 6-tepaled flowers more typical of the Liliaceae, have been placed in the genus Smilacina. J. V. LaFrankie (1986) placed all the species in a single genus.

The monophyly of Maianthemum sensu lato is supported by morphological consistencies including baccate fruits that are marked when immature, a consistent and unique karyotype (S. Kawano and H. H. Iltis 1966; S. Kawano et al. 1967; N. H. Valentine and H. M. Hassan 1971; M. N. Tamura 1995), and molecular analysis (P. J. Rudall et al. 2000; J. Yamashita and M. N. Tamura 2000). The 2-merous floral condition in Maianthemum sensu stricto is the result of anatomical reduction from the 3-merous state (F. H. Utech and S. Kawano 1976).

Vascular plants of NE US and adjacent Canada
Tep 4, distinct, spreading; stamens 4, hypogynous; filaments slender; anthers introrse; ovary bilocular, with 2-lobed style and 2 ovules per locule; berry globose, 1-2-seeded; low herbs from a slender rhizome, the erect stem with a few lvs and a short terminal raceme of small white fls. 3, N. Temp.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Species within checklist: Brown County: Combs Creek Upper Watershed
Maianthemum amoenum
Media resource of Maianthemum amoenum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum bifolium
Media resource of Maianthemum bifolium
Map not
Available
Maianthemum canadense
Media resource of Maianthemum canadense
Map not
Available
Maianthemum comaltepecense
Media resource of Maianthemum comaltepecense
Map not
Available
Maianthemum dahuricum
Media resource of Maianthemum dahuricum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum dilatatum
Media resource of Maianthemum dilatatum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum flexuosum
Media resource of Maianthemum flexuosum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum formosanum
Media resource of Maianthemum formosanum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum forrestii
Media resource of Maianthemum forrestii
Map not
Available
Maianthemum fuscum
Media resource of Maianthemum fuscum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum gigas
Media resource of Maianthemum gigas
Map not
Available
Maianthemum gongshanensis
Media resource of Maianthemum gongshanensis
Map not
Available
Maianthemum henryi
Media resource of Maianthemum henryi
Map not
Available
Maianthemum japonicum
Media resource of Maianthemum japonicum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum kamtschaticum
Media resource of Maianthemum kamtschaticum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum macrophyllum
Media resource of Maianthemum macrophyllum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum mexicanum
Media resource of Maianthemum mexicanum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum monteverdense
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Maianthemum paludicola
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Maianthemum paniculatum
Media resource of Maianthemum paniculatum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum purpureum
Media resource of Maianthemum purpureum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum racemosum
Media resource of Maianthemum racemosum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum scilloideum
Media resource of Maianthemum scilloideum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum septifolium
Media resource of Maianthemum septifolium
Map not
Available
Maianthemum stellatum
Media resource of Maianthemum stellatum
Map not
Available
Maianthemum trifolium
Media resource of Maianthemum trifolium
Map not
Available
Maianthemum viridiflorum
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Maianthemum yesoense
Media
not available
Map not
Available
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