False Solomon's-seal
Maianthemum racemosum
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in moist to dry forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Arkansas (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- 2–3 feet
- Spread
- 1.5–3 feet
- Light
- Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- April to June
- Fruiting season
- August to October
Recorded in 27 Arkansas counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.
Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 55 animals.
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Bell's VireoVireo bellii
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Eastern PhoebeSayornis phoebe
- Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Great EgretArdea alba
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Least BitternIxobrychus exilis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacus
Widespread birds also seen here (58)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Baltimore Oriole
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown Creeper
- Brown Thrasher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Cliff Swallow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Downy Woodpecker
- Eastern Bluebird
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Great Horned Owl
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Harris's Sparrow
- Hooded Merganser
- Indigo Bunting
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Osprey
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-throated Sparrow
- Wild Turkey
- Wood Thrush
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Care
- Handle roots gently when moving plants.
Who uses this plant?
3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Maianthemum
- Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
- Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
- Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
12BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Maianthemum
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
6BirdsRecorded eating Maianthemum in Arkansas
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.
- Ruffed GrouseFruit. 3 diet records
- Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 2 diet records
- Eastern BluebirdFruit. 1 diet record
- Swainson's ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
- VeeryFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
- Wood ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Beetles 4
- Bruchus minus
- Mordellistena biplagiata
- Trichius affinis
- Valgus canaliculatus
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Flies 5
- Criorhina decora
- Culex nigripes
- Empis humilis
- Siphona geniculata
- Volucella vesiculosa
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Maianthemum 6
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
Plant details
- Family
- Ruscaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 2a–8b
- Flower color
- White
- Fruit begins
- August
- Fruit ends
- October
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Mid April to June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “White” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 2a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
- primary_flower_color · “white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
- Spread · “1.5–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
False Solomon's seal; False Solomons Seal; Smilacina racemosa; Solomons Plume
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Growing cautions
- Spreads slowly. Slowly forms a large colony from thick rhizomes. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox
For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.
Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Arkansas occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications































