Mayapple is a unique looking plant, with “umbrella-like” leaves hovering over the plant’s solitary flower (occasionally, two flowers). The leaves remain closed as the stem lengthens, before unfolding to 6-8 inches across. Underneath, the flower, described as “nodding”, hangs with white to rose-colored petals. Eventually, the flower gives way to a large, fleshy, roundish berry, which is edible to people only when totally ripe and is otherwise toxic, as is the rest of the plant. The berry has a tropical flavor — and is favored by box turtles, who eat the fruit and disperse the seeds. Mayapple colonizes by rhizomes, forming dense mats in damp, open woods. The common name refers to the May blooming of its apple-blossom-like flower, and its other common name, “wild mandrake”, arose due to the similar shape of the unrelated European plant’s root.