Domesticated Mayapples?! Im wondering if anyone has Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) stories to share, especially regarding attempts to bring them under cultivation or even domesticate them. Given the increased scarcity of Asian Mayapples due to wild-harvesting for cancer medication, cultivation of wild American Mayapples may become quite important. Most sources will tell you that the American Mayapple has never been domesticated, but Im not so sure. Last summer I found a patch growing in the backyard of my friends late parents house in the Pocono Mountains, northeastern Pennsylvania. It was clear to me the patch was planted intentionally, perfectly spaced between two azaleas, at the shady rear of the yard, on the edge of, but still removed from the rest of the forest. But what most obviously screamed intentionality to me was the size of the plants, and the size and quality of the fruits. It seemed to me someone had clearly been transplanting the best wild specimens they could find into their backyard. Ive been a forager since childhood, across rural Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, so Ive encountered lots of Mayapples. Most patches contain plants 1ft tall or shorter, up to 18 inches on occasion, and its the rare patch that contains a high proportion of plants with flowers. Its an even rarer patch that contains a high proportion of plants with fruits, especially ripe fruits. This patch in the Poconos was laden with fruit when I visited, and some plants were nearly 2 ft tall. They had the strongest, thickest stems Ive seen. Id guess 80% of the plants still standing had had flowers, and almost all of those now had large, ripe fruit still attached. I was in a rush when I visited last summer, so I only dug up a couple roots (and took most of the fruits), but this year I returned in mid-September and dug up as many large sections of the colony as possible. I left plenty in situ for regeneration, but I took enough to start five new patches (four in different spots near me in South Jersey, and one at a friends in the Pocono-like mountains of North Jersey). I have since been told its a bit early to attempt transplanting Mayapples, but that they should be fine anyway. Im attaching a couple photos of what I dug up so folks can see the way the plant grows underground. Their growth pattern reminds me of strawberries, only in slow-motion and underground; but also mushrooms: the plant we see is really just like a fruiting body for the vast interconnected root-system below the ground. So you might find a whole patch of Mayapples is actually just one plant, if you dig around long enough. Ill post next year when these babies start poking up through the ground. Any recipes would be most welcome too: I made maybe the best jam ever from some foraged Mayapples a few years ago, adding nothing but sugar and a squeeze of lemon.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 22:09:56 +0000
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