Blue bead-lily, yellow clintonia, corn-lily

Dracaena borealis Aiton, Hort. Kew. 1: 454. 1789

Plants 2–5 dm; rhizomes thin, spreading. Cauline leaves 2–4; blade dark glossy green adaxially, oblong to elliptic obovate, 15–30 × 5–10 cm. Inflorescences in short, terminal racemes, 3–8(–10)-flowered; bracts 1(–3), narrowly foliaceous. Flowers nodding; tepals yellow to yellowish green, narrowly oblong, 12–16 × 3.5–4.5 mm; filaments 12–17.5 mm; anthers oblong, 2–3.5 mm. Berries ultramarine blue, ovoid, 8–16-seeded, 8–12 mm. Seeds 3–5 mm. 2n = 28, 32.

Flowering early May--early Jul. Rich coniferous, mixed, or deciduous woods; 0--1600 m; St. Pierre and Miquélon; Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que.; Conn., Ga., Ill., Ind., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Throughout the range of Clintonia borealis a stabilized, 2n = 32 cytotype has been reported (F. H. Utech and L. B. Thien 1973; B. M. Kapoor 1973).