Solomon's Seal Polygonatum biflorum

Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum biflorum

From April-June clusters of greenish yellow bell-like flowers dangle beneath parallel-veined leaves arranged alternately  along a 1-3 foot long arching stem. Flowers and berries grow in pairs. This plant can be found in woods and thickets. The berries are blue-black and inedible. The rootstock is stout, whitish, and has large circular "seals". The plant can easily be confused with False Solomon's Seal whose "rootstocks are edible...but...must first be soaked in lye overnight and then parboiled." Although these two plants are similar in that the parallel-veined leaves develop alternately along an arching stem, the flowers of False Solomon's Seal are white and clustered at the tip of the stem, whereas those of Solomon's Seal dangle in clusters below the leave axis. Both plants have roots that grow horizontally under the ground and have "seals" but the roots of Solomon's Seals have seals that are indented in the nodes, and those of False Solomon's Seal have "seals" on top of the nodes (Peterson, Lee). I have included a picture comparing the two below.

False Solomon's Seal Root

Solomon's Seal Root

Solomon's Seal is Native to North America and Canada. It is a perennial, meaning it lives for more than two  years. It is considered endangered in New Hampshire yet invasive in Nebraska and the Great Plains (USA. USDA) Each year the leaf stalk breaks away from the root leaving behind a seal ( Staff, TWC). I am guessing that the number of seals indicates the number of years the plant has lived. 

Solomon's Seal

The Native Americans used the starchy roots as food (Garden, Missouri Botanical). Per the Peterson Field guide I boiled the roots for 20 minutes. The taste was surprisingly pleasing. The nodes were tougher but still palatable. The seal portion of the root reminds me of cracked eggs in a frying pan with their white circular nodes and golden centers. 

Boiled and Chopped Solomon's Seal Roots

Works Cited

Garden, Missouri Botanical. "Polygonatum Biflorum." Editorial. Missouri Botanical Garden. Missouri Botanical Garden, n.d. Web. 8 May 2016. <http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e750>.

Peterson, Lee, and Roger Tory Peterson. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Print.

Staff, TWC. "NPIN: Native Plant Database." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2016. Web. 08 May 2016. <http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POBI2>.

USA. USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Plants Database. By Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA, 02 May 2016. Web. 05 May 2016. <www.plants.usda.gov>.