Mayapple

Mayapple
May apple n. In both senses also called mandrake.
1. A rhizomatous plant (Podophyllum peltatum) of eastern North America, having a single, nodding white flower and oval yellow fruit. Although the pulp of the ripe fruit is edible, the roots, leaves, and seeds of the plant are poisonous.
2. The fruit of this plant.

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plant
also called  mayflower , or  mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum) 
 perennial herbaceous plant of the family Berberidaceae (order Ranunculales) native to eastern North America, most commonly in shady areas on moist, rich soil.

      Its plant is 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 inches) tall. Its dark green, umbrella-like leaves, nearly 30 cm across, have five to seven lobes. The cup-shaped flower, with six to nine white petals, is 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) across and appears from April to June. The fruit is an edible yellow berry that is sometimes used in jams or beverages; the unripened fruit is toxic. The dried rhizomes (fleshy underground stems) are used medicinally; they contain anticancer compounds and are the source for a treatment of genital warts. The plant is a coarse but attractive specimen for the shady wild garden.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • mayapple — mayapple, may apple may apple . 1. North American herb ({Podophyllum peltatum}) with poisonous root stock and an edible though insipid egg shaped yellowish fruit; called also {wild mandrake}. Syn: May apple, wild mandrake, {Podophyllum peltatum} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mayapple — may·ap·ple mā .ap əl n, often cap 1) a No. American herb of the genus Podophyllum (P. peltatum) having a poisonous rootstock and rootlets that are a source of the drug podophyllum 2) the yellow egg shaped edible but often tasteless fruit of the… …   Medical dictionary

  • mayapple — skydinis pėdlapis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Raugerškinių šeimos vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Podophyllum peltatum), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Podophyllum peltatum angl. American mandrake; mayapple; wild mandrake… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Mayapple Press — is a small literary press started by poet and translator Judith Kerman in 1978. After a hiatus between 1982 and 1992, it became active again, publishing generally one to three titles a year until 2004, when the press became more active. For the… …   Wikipedia

  • mayapple and hallucinations —    The mayapple is also known as American mandrake. Both names refer to Podophyllum peltatum, a plant indigenous to North America. Somewhat confusingly, the mayapple is also referred to as mandrake, a name traditionally reserved for the plant… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • mayapple — noun Etymology: May Date: circa 1733 a North American herb (Podophyllum peltatum) of the barberry family with a poisonous rootstock, one or two large lobed peltate leaves, and a single large white flower followed by a yellow egg shaped edible… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mayapple — noun a) A fruit bearing flowering plant with poisonous roots, native to eastern North America, taxonomic name . b) The fruit of the plant Podophyllum peltatum …   Wiktionary

  • mayapple — noun an American herbaceous plant of the barberry family, which bears a yellow egg shaped fruit in May. [Podophyllum peltatum.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • mayapple — noun North American herb with poisonous root stock and edible though insipid fruit • Syn: ↑May apple, ↑wild mandrake, ↑Podophyllum peltatum • Hypernyms: ↑herb, ↑herbaceous plant • Member Holonyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Himalayan mayapple — himalajinis pėdlapis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Raugerškinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Podophyllum hexandrum), paplitęs pietų ir rytų Azijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Podophyllum hexandrum angl. Himalayan mayapple… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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