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Smilacena stellata

Common name:	Star-Flowered Lily Of The Valley	Family:	Convallariaceae
Author:	(L.)Desf.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:	Vagnera stellata ((L.)Morong.), Convallaria stellata (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	N. America - British Columbia to California and east to Virginia and Newfoundland.
Habitat:	Woods, thickets and open meadows, on gravelly and alluvial soils[43, 85].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Maianthemum stellatum[B,CPHOTO,CAL,CAL,P] Smilacina liliacea[B,P] Smilacina sessilifolia[B,P] Smilacina stellata[B,,C,E,G,HPIC,Ss,Swal,P] Smilacina stellata var. crassa[B,P] Smilacina stellata var. mollis[B,P] Smilacina stellata var. sessilifolia[B,P] Smilacina stellata var. sylvatica[B,P] Vagnera liliacea[B,P] Vagnera sessilifolia[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Solomon's Seal, Starry [S], Starry False Solomon's Seal [P], Starry False Solomon's-seal [B], Starry Solomon's Seal [S,FEIS],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	stellata = starry
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us(Blackfoot)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Fruit Leaves Root.

Fruit - raw or cooked[105, 161]. The fruit is about the size of a pea and is produced on the plant in small terminal clusters of about 2 - 8 berries[256]. It has a nice bitter-sweet flavour that is somewhat reminiscent of treacle[85, K]. The fruit is a good source of vitamin C, it has been used to prevent scurvy[213]. The fruit is said to be laxative in large quantities when eaten raw, especially if you are not used to eating it, though thorough cooking removes this laxative effect[K].
Young leaves - raw or cooked.
The young shoots, as they emerge in spring, can be used as an asparagus substitute[85]. The young shoots and leaves are cooked and used as greens[212].
Root - cooked. It should be soaked in alkaline water first to get rid of a disagreeable taste[85, 213]. It can be eaten like potatoes[213].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Antirheumatic Antiseptic Contraceptive Emmenagogue Ophthalmic Poultice Stomachic Vulnerary.

Star-flowered lily of the valley was employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
A tea made from the roots is drunk to regulate menstrual disorders[213].
A decoction of the leaves is taken 2 - 3 times a day in the treatment of rheumatism and colds[257]. Half a cup of leaf tea drunk daily for a week by a woman is said to prevent conception[213, 257].
The root is analgesic, antiseptic, haemostatic, ophthalmic, stomachic and vulnerary[257]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of stomach complaints, internal pains and to regulate menstrual disorders[257]. The dried powdered root has been used in treating wounds and bleeding[213, 257]. The crushed root has been used as a poultice on sprains, boils, swellings and limbs affected by rheumatism[257]. The pulped root has been used as ear drops to treat ear aches[257]. An infusion of the roots has been used as a wash for inflamed eyes[257].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

Plants can be grown as a ground cover when planted about 60cm apart each way[208]. An inferior cover to S. racemosa[208].

Cultivation details

Requires a deep fertile humus rich moisture retentive soil, neutral to slightly acid, that does not dry out in the growing season, and a shady position[200]. Does well in a woodland garden[200].
Plants have a creeping rhizome and can form extensive patches[187]. Fruits well in a shady woodland position at Kew[K].
Hardy to about -25° c[187].
Plants are slow to establish but then can become invasive[208].
The flowers are powerfully scented[245].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be very slow to germinate, often taking 18 months. Stored seed should be sown in a cold frame as soon as possible, it may take 2 years or longer to germinate. Grow the seedlings on in a shady part of a greenhouse for their first year without pricking them out, giving them liquid or foliar feeds as required to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Divide the young plants up into individual pots in the autumn when they are dormant, and grow them on for at least another year in a shady part of the greenhouse. When the plants have reached a sufficient size, plant them out in the autumn whilst they are dormant.
Division in spring or early autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are powerfully scented[245].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Maianthemum stellatum (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Smilacina stellata (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.

References for smilacina stellata (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[212] Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963 ISBN 63-7093
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[256] Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1
Excellent little handbook about the native food plants of Western Canada. Good descriptions of the plants and their uses with colour photos of most plants.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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