Intro: Erect, arching perennial of moist forests, especially cove forests, but also in montane oak forests.

Stems: Stems unbranched, smooth; there are sheathing, papery bracts on the lower, leafless part of stem.

Leaves: Leaves narrowly elliptic to oval, short-petiolate, 1 1/2-5 in. long, whitish and hairless above, with 3-9 finely hairy veins beneath.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers dangling below leaf from slender stalks originating in leaf axils (1-2 per axil); yellow-green; 3/8-1/2 in. long; tubular, with 6 short, pointed, spreading tepal lobes.

Fruits: Fruit a round, blue-black berry.

Comments:

Height: 1-2.5 ft.

plant sale text: What a delightfully understated plant! Simple green elliptic leaves emerge in spring along bright green gently arching zig-zag stems. Flowers are to be found in mid- to late spring below the leaves; narrow pale greenish white bells, flared at their rims. The blue-black rounded fruits follow on in summer. This is an open woodland plant, liking some sun and some shade, loamy soil with decaying organic material when available. The knotty half-inch thick rhizomes will spread out a bit in time and form a tidy colony of arches where happy.

bloom table text:

description: Erect, arching perennial of moist forests, especially cove forests, but also in montane oak forests.

stems: Stems unbranched, smooth; there are sheathing, papery bracts on the lower, leafless part of stem.

leaves: Leaves narrowly elliptic to oval, short-petiolate, 1 1/2-5 in. long, whitish and hairless above, with 3-9 finely hairy veins beneath.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers dangling below leaf from slender stalks originating in leaf axils (1-2 per axil); yellow-green; 3/8-1/2 in. long; tubular, with 6 short, pointed, spreading tepal lobes.

fruits: Fruit a round, blue-black berry.

comments:

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: northeastern North America