Little false Solomon’s-seal, starflower Solomon’s-seal, smilacine étoilée

Convallaria stellata Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 316. 1753; Smilacina liliacea (Greene) Wynd; S. stellata (Linnaeus) Desfontaines; Unifolium liliaceum Greene; U. sessilifolium (Nuttall ex Baker) Greene; U. stellatum (Linnaeus) Greene; Vagnera liliacea (Greene) Rydberg; V. sessilifolia (Nuttall ex Baker) Greene; V. stellata (Linnaeus) Morong

Plants terrestrial, 15–45 cm. Rhizomes sympodial, proliferatively spreading, narrow-cylindrical, units 15–60 cm × 3–4.5 mm, roots scattered over surfaces. Stems erect, 2.5–5 dm × 2–3.5 mm. Leaves 8–11, sessile, clasping; blade ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, 5–6 × 2.5–3.5 cm; base rounded; apex acute. Inflorescences racemose, simple, 6–15-flowered. Flowers 1 per node, 3-merous; tepals conspicuous, 4–5 × 1.5–2 mm; filaments 1.2–1.5 mm; anthers 0.6–0.8 mm; ovary globose to cylindrical, ca. 1 mm wide; style 1.3–1.8 mm; stigma obscurely 3-lobed; pedicel 6–12 × 0.8–1 mm. Berries green with black stripes along median carpel vein when young, maturing to red, globose, 4–6 mm diam. Seeds 1–6, globose, 2.5–3 mm. 2n = 36.

Flowering mid or late spring. Sand dunes, marginal woodlands, oak openings; 0--3200 m; Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.W.T., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon; Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., D.C., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.Dak., Tenn., Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.; disjunct in nw Mexico.