# May Lily (*Maianthemum bifolium*) May Lily is a lovely little flower that blooms in the spring. It has pretty white flowers and grows in shady places, making it a delightful sight in the forest. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** Forests ![May Lily](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Maianthemum_bifolium.jpg&width=800) Photo: Bouba at French Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maianthemum_bifolium.jpg) ## Appearance The May Lily is a small woodland plant with two distinctive, glossy heart-shaped green leaves. It has a delicate spike of tiny, star-shaped white flowers that bloom atop a slender stem, making it stand out against the forest floor. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Liliopsida - **Order:** Asparagales - **Family:** Asparagaceae - **Genus:** Maianthemum ## Interesting facts - After flowering, this plant grows cheerful red berries that look like tiny jewels! - Although it looks delicate, this plant can live for many years, returning each spring! - Its scientific name, 'bifolium,' means 'two leaves' in Latin, perfectly describing its look! - May Lilies often create beautiful carpets of green and white across shady forest floors! ## Special abilities - **Underground Navigator:** May Lily can spread quickly using strong underground stems called rhizomes, helping it colonize new areas and form large patches. - **Berry Bright:** May Lily has bright red berries that attract birds, which then help disperse its seeds to new locations when they eat the fruit. - **Mildly Protective:** May Lily contains compounds that make its berries taste unpleasant and slightly toxic, which can deter some animals from eating too many of them. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-25 cm - **Spread:** 5-15 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.3-0.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — visits flowers for nectar - **Eaten by:** [Common blackbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-blackbird) (*Turdus merula*) — eats ripe berries, spreading seeds - **Eaten by:** [Black slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — grazes on leaves and stems ## Traits - [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell. - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form. - [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't pick flowers, so everyone can enjoy them! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify May Lily? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is May Lily? 10-25 cm ### How wide does May Lily spread? 5-15 cm ### How big are the flowers on May Lily? 0.3-0.5 cm ### When does May Lily bloom? Late spring to early summer ### Is May Lily edible? No ### Is May Lily toxic? Mild ### What is May Lily's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Zoologická zahrada Děčín - Pastýřská stěna](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/zoologick-zahrada-d-n-past-sk-st-na) — Ústí nad Labem Region, CZ · Zoo ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [May Lily: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/may-lily)