slim solomon ~ 04/08/11 ~ Garland Ranch

slim Solomon / starry false lily of the valley / false Solomon's seal
Maianthemum stellatum (aka Smilacina stellata)
Asparagaceae (formerly Ruscaceae & Liliaceae)

OK, folks, I'm starting to get extremely irritated by all these naming changes. I thought this would be a simple post to quickly pump out this morning with perhaps a mention of the biblical reference in the common name, but, oh no, there's been a massive reclassification - not only family (x2!), but genus, species, and common names as well. Now, I'm wondering if the collective is actually talking about the same plant, since some of the photos available online do not look like each other, with one being upright and stiff and the other being loungy and relaxed (as shown in my pics above). I can understand how the official written descriptions can apply to both. Here's where I think actual photographs help clarify where words and archaic terminology can be interpreted differently. Erg. This lovely moist hillside find is often published in a variety of books as Smilacina stellata under the family Liliaceae; good luck if you can find it in an index with all its various names.

ps 07/17/11 - I edited the names and embedded links above, because even I was starting to confuse myself. For a closely related plant, see my fat Solomon post. As an added note, the green berries of the slim Solomon have 3 dark stripes.