Polygonatum biflorum

Solomon’s Seal is a graceful plant which enriches the woodland haitat without competing with the larger specimens there. It grows slowly but surely in the deer-protected understory to be a beautiful show throughout the growing season. The individual plant is an arching single stem with alternate, shiny leaves and pairs of tiny, bell-shaped white flowers dangling from each node in spring. By the end of summer, the blue berries appear and the foliage turns deep yellow. Solomon’s Seal spreads by rhizomes and by seeds, forming large swaths. It is beautiful growing with Mitchella repens. The rhizomes are tuber-like and are supposed to taste like potatoes, and were apparently consumed by early American settlers. The young shoots can also be boiled and served like asparagus.