Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's-seal) - photos and description

 

 

 

 

 

 


Looking straight down on plant


Top of leaves in above photo


Bottom of leaves in above photo

General: Woodland perennial with simple, arching stems. Plants glabrous.

Flowers: Flowers pale yellow with green stripes, single or in pairs from leaf axils, hanging beneath the leaves, the 3 petals and and 3 sepals indistinguishable, the tepals fused into a tube, spreading at the tip of the flower. Flower measured at 17 mm long. Styles do not protrude from the bottom of the flower.

Leaves: Leaves elliptical to lanceolate, cauline, alternate; upper leaves sessile, lower leaves clasping. Leaf measured at 10 cm long by 3.5 cm wide. Veins prominent on bottom of leaves.

Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora from 30 to 100 cm, we measured plants to 35 cm tall, stems to 55 cm long.

Habitat: Moist riparian woods and coulees in river valleys in extreme corner of southeast Saskatchewan.

Abundance: This plant is very rare, ranked as an S1 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.

Origin: Native.

When and where photographed: Photos taken June 28th, slope in woodland, the Souris River valley, about 225 km south east of our home in Regina, SK.