MAY-APPLE.
Podophyllum Peltatum L.
Pharmacopoeial Name--Podophyllum.
Other Common Names--Mandrake, wild mandrake, American mandrake, wild
lemon, ground-lemon, hog-apple, devil's-apple, Indian apple,
raccoon-berry, duck's-foot, umbrella-plant, vegetable calomel.
Habitat and Range--The May-apple is an indigenous plant, found in low
woods, usually growing in patches, from western Quebec to Minnesota,
south to Florida and Texas.
Description of Plant--A patch of May-apple can be distinguished from
afar, the smooth, dark-green foliage and close and even stand making
it a conspicuous feature of the woodland vegetation.
May-apple is a perennial plant, and belongs to the barberry family
(Berberidaceae.) It is erect and grows about 1 foot in height. The
leaves are only two in number, circular in outline, but with five to
seven deep lobes, the lobes 2 cleft, and toothed at the apex; they
are dark green above, the lower surface lighter green and somewhat
hairy or smooth, sometimes 1 foot in diameter, and borne on long
leafstalks which are fixed to the center of the leaf, giving it an
umbrella-like appearance. The waxy-white, solitary flower, sometimes
2 inches in diameter, appears in May, nodding on its short stout
stalk, generally right between the two large umbrella-like leaves,
which shade and hide it from view. The fruit which follows is lemon
shaped, at first green, then yellow, about 2 inches in length and
edible, altho when eaten immoderately it is known to have produced
bad effects.
In a patch of May-apple plants there are always a number of sterile
or flowerless stalks, which bear leaves similar to those of the
flowering plants.
[Illustration: May-apple (Podophyllum Pellatum), Upper Portion of
Plant with Flower and Rootstock.]
Description of Rootstock--The horizontally creeping rootstock of
May-apple when taken from the ground, is from 1 to 6 feet or more in
length, flexible, smooth, and round, dark brown on the outside and
whitish and fleshy within; at intervals of a few inches are thickened
joints, on the upper surface of which are round stem scars and on the
lower side a tuft of rather stout roots. Sometimes the rootstock
bears lateral branches. The dried rootstock, as it occurs in the
stores, is in irregular, somewhat cylindrical pieces, smooth or
somewhat wrinkled, yellowish brown or dark brown externally, whitish
to pale brown internally, breaking with a short, sharp fracture, the
surface of which is mealy. The odor is slight and the taste at first
sweetish, becoming very bitter and acrid.
Collection, Prices and Uses--The proper time for collecting the
rootstock is in the latter half of September or in October. The price
paid for May-apple root ranges from 3 to 6 cents a pound.
May-apple root, which is recognized as official in the United States
Pharmacopoeia, is an active cathartic and was known as such to the
Indians.