This short article was written by Solomon Gamboa; Author of Native Meadowscaping , Native Plant Agriculture , and A Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model all available at this link.
It's been thought that all colonies of Mayapple growing in sunny fields were the result of deforestation and then persistence by mayapples in the new, full-sun condition. We've found evidence that Mayapples can in fact spread into full sun conditions through animal dispersal of their fruit which are beloved by box turtles, foxes, coyotes, raccoon, bear, and possum. The three colonies in the first picture are growing in a Tallgrass prairie planting on land that was most recently farmland - not forested. This area has been deforested for well over 100 years at least, where in the meantime it existed as farmland which would be difficult for Mayapples to persist in.
Reproducing in Full-Sun
Another indicator that these Mayapples spread through natural seed dispersal into the open land is a new young colony in the second picture. This colony of just 4 to 5 sprouts has to be no older than 4 years of age due to the small size of its colony. This demonstrates that these mayapples are reproducing in the Tallgrass prairie planting, likely via animal seed dispersal. The great news for gardeners, is if you find Mayapple fruit/seed you can propagate them in full-sun and plan on planting them in full-sun within its native range - or as a full shade temporary ground cover.
Click Images Below to Expand Them
Select/click the images above to expand them then click/tap to advance to the next picture. Also, Turn your cellphone side ways for horizontal pictures, and straight up and down for vertical pictures.
Full-Sun Adaptation
Mayapples are able to successful competing against aggressive prairie grass and Canadian goldenrod in these pictures because of their ephemeral nature. They sprout as early as a month before the warm season grasses and goldenrod, and their dense leaves stunt the emerging vegetation below them temporarily. This gives them enough time to bloom and produce fruit before being overgrown by the Tallgrass prairie planting. By the time they're over grown, they're still receiving more sunlight in the understory of the field than they would in a forest, which makes them quite adapted to full-sun growing conditions. The prairies they were growing in had a condition of moderate moisture. The blooms offer an abundance of nectar and pollen to Queen Bumblebees, solitary bees, and Carpenter Bees while the fruit when fully ripe is edible to humans and native mammals. Mayapples are deer and rabbit proof due to their toxic leaves.
We encourage you to spread Mayapples throughout the landscape for wildlife and/or human use. The following germination tips will help you achieve that.
Germination Tips: The seeds of Mayapple best germinate when given the summer, fall, and winter to stratify. In the Summer time when Mayapples are ripe, scoop out the seeds of the fruit. Place the seeds in a small pot full of sand or silty sand, and leave it in the shade throughout the year. The following early-spring, sow all of the sand with the seeds into pots in full sun. Expect germination within 4 to 6 weeks.
Receive 40% off of our Native Plant Propagation Guide/Nursery Model book when purchased as a package. deal with either our Native Meadowscaping book or our Native Plant Agriculture book at this link.
Learn about what our Native Meadowscaping book has to offer here at this link.
Learn about what our Native Plant Agriculture Vol. 1 book has to offer here at this link.
Learn about what our Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model has to offer here at this link.