Maianthemum


Maianthemum is a genus of rhizomatous, herbaceous, perennial flowering plants, native to the understory of woodlands. It is widespread across much of North America, Europe and Asia.
In the APG III classification system, Maianthemum is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae.
Because of genetic similarity, similar fruits, and evidence that the 4-tepal species evolved from a 6-tepal species, the genus Smilacina was combined with Maianthemum in the late 20th century.
Like many lilioid monocots, both Maianthemum and Smilacina were formerly included in the family Liliaceae. The genus has also been placed in the former family Convallariaceae, and resembles the closely related Polygonatum, hence the common name "false Solomon's seal".
Flowers have six tepals, reduced to four in M. canadense, M. bifolium and M. dilatatum.

Species

Species accepted:
  1. Maianthemum amoenum LaFrankie – Honduras, El Salvador, Chiapas, Veracruz
  2. Maianthemum atropurpureum LaFrankie – Sichuan, Yunnan
  3. Maianthemum bicolor Cubey – Korea
  4. Maianthemum bifolium F.W.Schmidt – May lily – northern and central Europe and northern Asia from Spain to Kamchatka; China, Japan, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, etc
  5. Maianthemum canadense Desf. – Canada mayflower, false lily-of-the-valley – much of USA and Canada
  6. Maianthemum comaltepecense Espejo, López-Ferr. & Ceja – Oaxaca
  7. Maianthemum dahuricum LaFrankie – Siberia, Russian Far East, Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Korea
  8. Maianthemum dilatatum A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr. – snakeberry, wild lily-of-the-valley – Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Russian Far East, Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California
  9. Maianthemum flexuosum LaFrankie – Chiapas, Central America
  10. Maianthemum formosanum LaFrankie – Taiwan
  11. Maianthemum forrestii LaFrankie – Yunnan
  12. Maianthemum fusciduliflorum S.C.Chen & Kawano – Tibet, Yunnan, Bhutan, Assam, Myanmar
  13. Maianthemum fuscum LaFrankie – Nepal, Tibet, Yunnan, Bhutan, Assam, Myanmar
  14. Maianthemum gigas LaFrankie – Chiapas, Central America
  15. Maianthemum gongshanense H.Li – Yunnan
  16. Maianthemum henryi LaFrankie – Vietnam, Myanmar, Tibet, southern China
  17. Maianthemum hondoense LaFrankie – Honshu
  18. Maianthemum × intermedium Vorosch. – Siberia, Russian Far East
  19. Maianthemum japonicum LaFrankie – Russian Far East, Japan, Korea, northeastern China
  20. Maianthemum lichiangense LaFrankie – Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan
  21. Maianthemum macrophyllum LaFrankie – Veracruz
  22. Maianthemum mexicanum García Arév – Durango
  23. Maianthemum monteverdense LaFrankie – Nicaragua, Costa Rica
  24. Maianthemum nanchuanense H.Li & J.L.Huang – Sichuan
  25. Maianthemum oleraceum LaFrankie – Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, Myanmar, Tibet, Sikkim, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan
  26. Maianthemum paludicola LaFrankie – Costa Rica
  27. Maianthemum paniculatum LaFrankie – Mexico to Costa Rica
  28. Maianthemum purpureum LaFrankie – Tibet, Yunnan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Assam
  29. Maianthemum racemosum Link – false Solomon's-seal – widespread across forested regions of USA and Canada; also Chihuahua
  30. Maianthemum robustum LaFrankie – Honshu
  31. Maianthemum salvinii LaFrankie – Chiapas, Guatemala
  32. Maianthemum scilloideum LaFrankie – Mexico, Guatemala
  33. Maianthemum stellatum Link – starry Solomon's-seal widespread across most of northern and Western United States; much of Canada; Chihuahua
  34. Maianthemum stenolobum S.C.Chen & Kawano – Sichuan, Gansu, Hubei
  35. Maianthemum szechuanicum H.Li – Sichuan, Yunnan
  36. Maianthemum tatsienense LaFrankie – Bhutan, Assam, Myanmar, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan
  37. Maianthemum trifolium Sloboda – three-leaf Solomon's-seal, false mayflower Siberia, Russian Far East, Korea, Manchuria, Alaska, much of Canada, northeastern and north-central United States
  38. Maianthemum tubiferum LaFrankie – Gansu, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan
  39. Maianthemum yesoense LaFrankie – Japan