False Solomon's Seal

Solomon's seal at the Avenue of the Giants

False Solomon's seal (or star-flowered Solomon's seal) is a very attractive plant with silky smooth leaves. When in bloom, it produces small white flowers that turn into berries as the plant matures. Sometimes this plant covers a large ground forming a meadow right there in the forest. The plant likes semi shade and grows well under the trees.

False Solomon's seal flower turning into berries

The Latin name is Maianthemum stellatum, not to be confused with Maianthemum racemosum. The latter has much smaller flowers forming "plumes". I have not seen the latter plant in our forest wheres the former grows in abundance at the Avenue of the Giants. They are closely related though, as can be seen from the similar genus name. The plant known as Solomon's seal (the true) is a different genus: Polygonatum  (not to be confused with Polygonum, a totally different and unrelated plant) commutatum: a beautiful plant with lots of white bell shaped flowers. Unfortunately it does not grow in our part of the world but mainly in the eastern part of the country.

False Solomon's seal leaves

All the aforementioned plants belong to asparagus family (Asparagaceae).

The juice from Maianthemum stellatum is effective against nettle sting. Just rub the fresh leaf against the damaged part to release the juices. 

Hebe

Hebe inflorescence. Notice the 2 long stamens and style. 

Hebe is a nice decorative plant that can be seen along the roadside as part of planted hedges. It has 4 almost perpendicular rows of leaves and flowered that are arranged in long spiked that come in different colors. The flowers have long stamens and style (middle parts inside the flower). When the flowers turn to seed, the plant loses much of its attraction as these seeds look like ordinary brown seeds that look more like grains of mud actually.

Hebe leaves arranged in cross-like shape along the stem.

Hebes are related to plantains and even more so to veronicas as they belong to the same family Plantaginaceae. This plant is the largest genus in New Zealand and apparently is much loved there. Hebes apparently don't take much care and therefore make a nice plants for hedges and flowerbeds as well as an excellent lawn plant.

Hebe view from the side. Notice how the leaves alternate along the stem.

Achlys

Achlys triphylla

 
Achlys, also known as vanilla leaf or deerfoot is a plant that can be found in the forest. So far I've only seen it twice, both times in a redwood forest. It is a rare plant and does not grow all over the place like, say, redwood sorrel.

Vanilla leaf (Achlys triphylla) is so called for its supposedly vanilla smell of the dried leaves. Well, I got one leaf, dried it and smelled it. It did not smell like vanilla! Why is it called vanilla leaf? Fresh leaves do not smell either. I am not going to call it that. I am going to call it achlys or deerfoot.

Deerfoot (Achlys triphylla)

Anyway, achlys is easy to recognize by the shape of its leaves: they are big, separated into 3 distinct parts that sometimes touch each other so it looks like one whole leaf. Achlys blooms too, but at the time when this picture was taken it was not blooming so I cannot show you the flowers.

Achlys belongs to the barberry family (Berberidaceae).  As a forest plant, it likes shade. Fresh leaves can be rubbed on skin to act as a mosquito repellent.