Polygonatum biflorum (Walter) Elliott

Smooth Solomon’s-seal, King Solomon’s-seal, great Solomon’s seal

Similar species

	You are here Polygonatum biflorum	Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum ‘Variegatum’	Polygonatum humile
Common Name	smooth Solomon’s-seal	variegated Solomon’s seal	dwarf Solomon’s seal
Plant	Up to 4′ (1.2 m) in length, often bent to grow sideways, perhaps to capture as much light as possible.	Reaches 8–20″ (20–50 cm).	Plants are 6–9″ tall ⨉ 1–1½′ around (15–22 ⨉ 30–45 cm), comfortable in the full or partial shade under trees.
Leaves	Yellow-green leaves appear alternately along the stem. They are oval, pointed at each end, up to 7″ (18 cm) long by 2½″ (7 cm) wide.	Oval, green fringed with white, 3–9″ (7.6–22 cm) long.	Elliptical, green, 1–3″ (2.5–7.6 cm) long.
Flowers	Delicate greenish-white or yellowish-green bell-shaped flowers hang downward in groups of 1-5 flowers, each about ½ ⨉ ⅛″ (1.3 cm ⨉ 5 mm).	White or greenish-white, like long bells, about ½″ (1.3 cm) long, hanging downward, often in pairs. Whiter than P. biflorum..	White, bell-shaped, about ¼″ (8.3 mm) long, hanging singly from stem.
Fruit	Bluish-black fleshy berries.	Dark blue to black, less than ¼″ (6.3 mm) around.	Berries are shiny, black, hanging down from arched stems, and about ¼″ (6.3 mm) around.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-9	USDA Zones: 4-8	USDA Zones: 5-8
Habitats	Woods, prairies, in sandy, loamy soil.	Wooded areas, dappled shade, deep shade	Full to partial shade in temperate climates

	Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum
Common Name	false Solomon’s seal
Plant	Grows to a height of 1–3′ (30–91 cm), typically oriented mostly sideways, presumably to capture more sunlight
Leaves	Alternate, oval, pointed on each end, with parallel veins, about 2½–6″ (7–15 cm) long and 1–2″ (3–6 cm) wide.
Flowers	At the end of arching stems, creamy white, fragrant, in feathery groups 2–4″ (5–10 cm) long, each about ⅛″ (3.2 mm) in diameter. Flowers appear from April to May.
Fruit	Berries are bronze spotted with red at first, later becoming blackish red
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-8
Habitats	Forests, and river or stream floodplains.

Polygonatum biflorum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.