Template:Taxobox begin Template:Taxobox image Template:Taxobox begin placement Template:Taxobox regnum entry Template:Taxobox divisio entry Template:Taxobox classis entry Template:Taxobox ordo entry Template:Taxobox familia entry Template:Taxobox genus entry Template:Taxobox species entry Template:Taxobox end placement Template:Taxobox section subdivision Maianthemum Dilatatum Template:Taxobox end
M. Dilatatum or Snakeberry or Wild Lilly of the Valley is a common Rhizmous Lilly native to the Pacific Northwest and often found as the dominant groundcover in Sitka Spruce understory. They have usually 2 waxy leaves that are smooth and broad, hence it's Linean name (Dilatatum means broad). They have 1-4 berries 6 MM in diameterthat are speckled red (much like a cinnamin Jelly Belly) when immature and redden with age. They have 4 tepals, 4 stamens and have 2 chambers in the pistil. This species, along with M. Canadense are the only two 4-tepaled species in their genus.
Ethnobotanical uses
Native tribes of the Pacific Northwest used Snakeberry as food seldom as it is not very tasteful and has a low meat to seed ratio in the fruit. When eaten, the usual method was to pick them when green and hold them until winter when they would be red and soft. Another method was to dry the green berries in the sun, clean them, and boil them for a few minutes in cedar boiling boxes by lowering baskets of the berries directly into boiling water. The soft-boiled berries could then be mixed with other berries, such as Salal, and dried in cakes. The roots have been pounded and soaked in water to make a topical disinfectant.
Reference
- Washington State Dept. of Transportation, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/environment/culres/ethbot/m-p/Maianthemum.htm 2001