Star-Flowered Solomon's Seal, Maianthemum Stellatum

Day 220: It zigs, it zags, the stalk changing direction at each axil, and doesn't stop until it comes to the terminal bud on its flowering stalk (raceme). Star-Flowered Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) looks as if it can't make up its mind which direction to grow. The USDA database describes it as occurring in moist sites which support a wide range of overstory plants including poplars and pines, oaks and aspens, but here in the Pacific Northwest, it's found most frequently in mixed forests of Douglas-fir and spruce. Moving downward, it makes its home where willows, Shadbush and Ninebark grow. In the lower tier, it often associates with its relative, False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) and the bedstraws (Galium), both of which provide the ground cover necessary to preserve soil moisture. Its fruit is a round, red berry, and is a valuable food source for Ruffed Grouse. Elk eat the leaves. It thrives in shallow soils and, although the upper portion of the plant may be destroyed, its rhizomes are resistant to fire-kill, both conditions which permit it to reestablish within a few years after a fire.