Short Description
The May lily is a small, perennial plant.
It has two heart-shaped leaves.
The upper part of the stem is covered with stiff, white hairs.
The white, fragrant flowers grow in a bunch at the top of the stem.
The fruits are small shiny, yellow to red dotted berries.
Features
May lily
Maianthemum bifolium
poisonous
two heart-shaped leaves
yellow to red berries
In the city
It grows scattered in species-poor deciduous and coniferous forests, moors and mountain meadows. It prefers fresh, nutrient-poor and calcareous soils as well as shady locations.
Fun Facts
The flowering period is from May to June.
Small flies in particular act as pollinators. In the absence of insect visitation, spontaneous self-pollination occurs.
The fruits are ripe from September to October. They remain on the plant in winter or sometimes even beyond.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
All parts of the plant, but especially the berries, are poisonous due to saponins.
In the past, the dried herb was used as a diuretic.
Sources
Habitus, Alinja, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maianthemum_bifolium_oravanmarja.jpg
Habitus, FredrikLähnn, PD, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maianthemum_bifolium10.JPG
Früchte, Borealis55, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maianthemum_bifolium_9257.jpg
Seitz, B., Ristow, M., Meißner, J., Machatzi, B. & Sukopp, H. (2018) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der etablierten Farn- und Blütenpflanzen von Berlin. : Der Landesbeauftragte für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege / Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Klima und Verkehr (eds.) Rote Listen der gefährdeten Pflanzen, Pilze und Tiere von Berlin, URL: https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/naturschutz/artenschutz/artenlisten-rote-listen/farn-und-bluetenpflanzen/ (Accessed: 26.03.2021).
Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.
Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=3577& (Accessed: 14.08.2018).
Page „Zweiblättrige Schattenblume“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 22.05.2018, 09:07 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zweibl%C3%A4ttrige_Schattenblume&oldid=177645807 (Accessed: 14.08.2018).