Large False-solomon’s Seal

Maianthemum racemosum

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Papaipema cataphracta
S13+S15 1 verified Eastern NA
❄️ Winter Food Source: Red berries consumed by Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush, Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), and Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). Berries ripen in late summer and persist into fall, providing food for migratory and resident thrushes in deciduous forest understory.
S57 4 Turdidae species

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5). Not ranked at provincial level in either Ontario or Quebec (SNR). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Widespread and common throughout eastern North America.
S22 G5, SNR in ON/QC; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON SNR – Not Ranked
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Common understory forb of mesic to dry deciduous forests throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Typical of rich beech-maple and sugar maple stands, also occurring on floodplains, forested dunes, and in oak-hickory woodlands. Thrives in open second-growth stands and often found on sites with deep, humus-rich soils. In Michigan, noted on limestone substrates with thin residual soil.
S7 moist to dry forests, beech-maple; S61 moist deciduous forests; S62 Common in Ottawa

Roles: Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: Excellent understory companion in shade to part-shade woodland gardens. The arching stems and terminal flower plumes provide structural contrast with low-growing ground covers like Asarum canadense. Rhizomatous spread creates small drifts that fill gaps without becoming aggressive. Well-suited to the herb layer beneath deciduous canopy trees in forest garden designs.
S46 not aggressive rhizomes; S7 beech-maple understory

Category: Analgesic, Antihemorrhagic, Antirheumatic, Cathartic, Dermatological Aid, Eye Medicine, Gynecological Aid, Kidney Aid, Orthopedic Aid, Tonic
S28 Moerman categories
Notes: Extensively used in Indigenous medicine across North America. Chippewa inhaled burning root fumes for headaches and used root decoctions for back pain. Abnaki took decoctions for spitting blood. Algonquin of Quebec prepared root tea for sore backs. Iroquois used compound infusions for rheumatism, snakebite, and gynecological ailments. Gitksan considered root decoctions a very strong medicine for rheumatism and kidney trouble. Health Canada classifies as an approved herbal ingredient (NHP).
S28 56 Drug/Medicine uses; S36 Health Canada NHP approved

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Ripe berries eaten by Tewa and Costanoan peoples. Hanaksiala mixed the juice with Pacific crabapples and highbush cranberries as a beverage. Young shoots reportedly consumed like asparagus in some traditions. The berries are somewhat bitter and purgative if consumed in quantity.
S28 Moerman Food uses; S61 ripe fruits edible