Canada Mayflower - Maianthemum canadense

Yesterday we learned about the Plymouth Mayflower, today we learn about the Canada Mayflower.

The short, often zigzaged stem has a small, dense, cluster of tiny, white, star-shaped flowers at its top and 1-3 ovate leaves. A low plant, only 3-6 in. tall, it blankets woodlands with its two shiny, oval leaves. In bloom, tiny, white flowers are held in upright clusters on separate, delicate stems. The fruit is a small, pale red berry. The Latin name, Maianthemum, means May blossom - an appropriate name because the plant flowers in May.

In folklore, the root may have been used as a good luck charm. Native Americans are reported to have used the plant for headache and sore throats