Since the topic keeps coming up on various internet forums, I thought I’d write a little guide about these plants, all of which are flowering or about to flower now in the Maryland piedmont.

sessile bellwort, Uvularia sessilifolia; Liliaceae or Colchicaceae
perfoliate bellwort, Uvularia perfoliata; Liliaceae or Colchicaceae
Solomon’s seal, Polygonatum biflorum; Ruscaceae or Asparagaceae or Liliaceae
Solomon’s plume aka false Solomon’s seal, Maianthemum racemosum; Ruscaceae or Asparagaceae or Liliaceae
(apologies for the family name confusion, but authorities differ)

In flower, these four species are easy to distinguish. Before they flower, they can be tricky – indeed, the old common name of M. racemosum comes from the fact that it looks a lot like P. biflorum.

So, how to tell them apart when they’re young?

I prepared this chart based on my own observations cross-referenced by information in the Flora of North America via efloras.org, the New England Wild Flower Society’s gobotany site, and Illinois Wildflowers.

	Uvularia species	Maianthemum racemosum	Polygonatum biflorum
stem form	stems simple or with 1 branch	stems erect or arching, sometimes zigzag	stems erect to arching
stem texture	glabrous, glaucous	slightly hairy	glabrous, glaucous
leaf arrangement	alternate	alternate	alternate
leaf attachment	sessile or perfoliate (per species)	sessile, clasping or perfoliate	sessile to clasping
leaf shape	oblong-linear to oblong-ovate	elliptic to ovate	narrowly lanceolate to elliptic or nearly ovate
leaf base	rounded to cuneate	rounded to cuneate	cuneate to rounded
leaf tip	acute to acuminate	acute or caudate	acute
leaf texture	glabrous	glabrous	glabrous, sometimes with a bit of a sheen
inflorescence	1 per branch, terminal but appearing axillary	terminal	axillary (in several axils)
#flowers/inflorescence	one	70-250	typically 2, as many as 5

The descriptions are much alike, and frankly not that useful when the specimens are still young. I don’t have all the pictures I want to illustrate this post, but study the ones below;  I think with experience you can develop an eye for identifying these species by considering the whole plant as well as the individual details.

The bellworts are overall much smaller than the other two species, with shorter stems and smaller leaves.

Start with the easy one: perfoliate bellwort. The way the stem appears to pierce the leaf is unique, so it’s hard to confuse this with the others even when a specimen is very young.

 

 

Sessile bellwort is much smaller than M. racemosum and P. biflorum. Its terminal bud develops very early, when the plant is still tiny. Especially if the other two species are nearby, it’s pretty clear from the size and general appearance if a young plant is a bellwort.

perfoliate bellwort and Solomon’s plume next to each other; note how different the stems look (click to enlarge)

Perhaps the best way to distinguish M. racemosum from P. biflorum when the plants are very young is to look at the leaf tips. When the plants are a little older, they’re very easy to tell apart by looking for buds: M. racemosum has a cluster of buds at the very end of the stem, while P. biflorum will have a few buds at many (but not all) of the leaf axils.

I love that I found these two growing right by each other, but be warned, this P. biflorum is atypical: the leaves are exceptionally narrow. Note that there’s one flower bud dangling from a leaf axil. Also, check out the leaf tips (click on the picture to zoom in), because they’re textbook examples. P. biflorum’s is acute, and M. racemosum‘s is caudate.

 

P. biflorum with flower buds

 

 

 

 

young M. racemosum, no buds yet

 

 

 

 

zigzag stem, caudate leaf tips, and terminal inflorescence = M. racemosum

 

 

 

straighter stem, narrower leaves, and axillary flowers = P. biflorum