POLYGONATUM ODORATUM
Common Names:- Solomon's seal
Homotypic synonyms:- Convallaria odorata, Polygonatum sigillum.
Meaning:- Polygonatum (Gr) "Many knees" or "many joints," referring to the
knobby, jointed segments of the underground root.
Odoratum (L) Fragrant, sweet-smelling or having a scent. Used as a
specific epithet to show that a species has pleasantly scented leaves or flowers.
General description:- A rhizomatous herbaceous perennial featuring distinct
angular stems, sweetly scented tubular white flowers hanging from the leaf axils,
and smooth alternate leaves.
Rhizome:-
1) Thick, horizontal, jointed, and fleshy. It features circular, seal-like scars left by
previous year's dead stems.
Stems:-
1) Erect at the base, sharply angled or ridged, arching gracefully outward near the
top. Growing up to 85 cm tall.
Leaves:-
1) Simple, alternate, arranged in a distichous plane along the upper portion of the
stem. Elliptic to lanceolate or ovate, glabrous, and grayish-green underneath.
Flowers:-
1) In axillary clusters bearing 1 to 2 pendent, flowers dangling below the arching
stems. Tubular, cylindrical campanulate, white with green tips. Sweetly and
pleasantly fragrant.
Fruit:-
1) Berry, globose, turning from green to dark blue-black when mature.
Key features:-
1) Stems, are distinctly angular, ridged, or grooved in cross-section.
2) Flowers, usually solitary or in pairs (1 to 2 flowers).
3) Flowers, are slightly larger, tubular, and carry a sweet scent.
Toxicity:- The berries and plant tissues contain active compounds that are
considered harmful if ingested.
Habitat:- Preferring moist, humus-rich, and well-drained base-rich soils.
in shaded or semi-shaded temperate woodlands, scrub margins, rocky limestone
outcrops, and limestone pavements.
Distribution:- Eurasian plant native from Europe and the Caucasus across Siberia,
China, and Mongolia to Korea and Japan. In Britain rare and local native, mostly
restricted to base-rich limestone habitats, ancient woodlands, and limestone
pavements from Somerset up to Cumbria.
Flowering time:- Late spring to early summer (typically May to July).
Status:- Classified globally and nationally as Least Concern on the Great Britain
Red List, though it is considered a rare and scarce native plant locally in Britain and
Vulnerable on the Welsh Red List
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