False Solomon’s seal

What it looks like

A native woodland wildflower of the asparagus family with unbranched, arching stems 1 to 3 feet long that zigzag slightly between the leaves (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). The leaves are alternate, pointed and up to 6 inches long, with strong parallel veins, and look like those of true Solomon’s seal (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). It spreads slowly by thick rhizomes and often forms large colonies (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). In late spring a feathery cluster of 20 to 80 tiny, fragrant, creamy white flowers forms at the tip of each stem (Wisconsin Extension; NC State). The flowers are followed by a cluster of small round berries, each containing a few seeds (Wisconsin Extension), about 5 to 7 mm across (Edible Wild Food). The berries start green, sometimes speckled with purple, and ripen to a translucent red in late summer or fall (Wisconsin Extension); NC State calls the ripe color ruby red, and Edible Wild Food says the berries in a cluster do not all ripen at the same time. Edible Wild Food calls the berries somewhat bittersweet; Tyrant Farms says they taste almost like molasses for 2 or 3 seconds, followed by a strong bitter flavor, and that flavor varies a lot between plants. Birds, bees and small mammals eat the fruits (NC State).

Safety

No toxic part of false Solomon’s seal is named in the sources checked (NC State). NC State says the fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, but raw fruit can act as a laxative in large quantities, and Edible Wild Food gives the same warning; Tyrant Farms advises not eating too many at once until you know how your body reacts. Toxic lookalike: true Solomon’s seal, which often grows in the same woods and has very similar leaves (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). NC State lists its fruit as poisonous, causing vomiting and diarrhea, and Edible Wild Food says never to eat any part of it. Tell them apart by where the flowers and berries are: false Solomon’s seal carries a feathery flower cluster at the tip of the stem that becomes a cluster of red berries, while true Solomon’s seal has bell-shaped flowers hanging from the leaf joints along the stem, followed by blue to black berries (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). Deadly lookalike: lily-of-the-valley, whose shoots look very similar to those of false Solomon’s seal (Tyrant Farms) and which Penn State Extension calls deadly poisonous. It is a low plant, 6 to 10 inches tall, with bell-shaped white flowers, and its red berries are seldom formed (NC State); in the DC area it is known only as a garden escape (Smithsonian checklist). Red baneberry, also deadly, has red berries that can be mistaken for false Solomon’s seal berries (Tyrant Farms); NC State says it can cause death in humans and that the roots and berries are the most toxic parts. Its berries have a dark spot at the tip and its leaves are divided into toothed leaflets (NC State); it is not recorded near DC: it is not on the Smithsonian checklist of the Washington-Baltimore area, NC State’s range for it does not include DC, Maryland or Virginia, and iNaturalist has no sightings within 25 km of DC. Jack-in-the-pulpit, which grows in DC-area woods (Smithsonian checklist), often near false Solomon’s seal (Practical Self Reliance), bears a cluster of bright red berries in mid to late summer on a short, bare stalk (NC State; Practical Self Reliance); NC State says every part is poisonous and causes severe pain in the mouth if eaten. Starry false Solomon’s seal, a smaller relative, has fewer but larger flowers, narrower leaves that clasp the stem and darker, almost black berries (Wisconsin Extension); it is endangered in Maryland and rare in Virginia (Maryland DNR; Virginia DCR), so leave it alone. Canada mayflower, a much smaller relative with only 2 or 3 leaves, has small speckled red berries that Practical Self Reliance says should not be eaten. Pick only from plants with the berry cluster at the tip of a tall, arching, leafy stem.

Lookalikes

• Lily-of-the-valley Convallaria majalis deadly

  Tyrant Farms says lily-of-the-valley shoots look very similar to false Solomon’s seal shoots, and Penn State Extension calls lily-of-the-valley deadly poisonous. It is a low plant, 6 to 10 inches tall, with bell-shaped white flowers, and its small red berries are seldom formed (NC State); false Solomon’s seal has arching stems 1 to 3 feet long with a feathery flower cluster and then a cluster of red berries at the tip (Wisconsin Extension). In the DC area lily-of-the-valley is known only as a garden escape (Smithsonian checklist).

  • Solomon’s seal (& false Solomon’s seal): how to grow, forage & eat Tyrant Farms
  • Ramps (Allium tricoccum) Penn State Extension
  • Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • False Solomon’s Seal, Maianthemum racemosum (Susan Mahr) University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture
  • Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part II: Monocotyledons (Shetler & Orli, 2002) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany

• Red baneberry Actaea rubra deadly

  Tyrant Farms and Practical Self Reliance say red baneberry’s poisonous red berries can be mistaken for false Solomon’s seal berries. NC State says red baneberry can cause death in humans, that the roots and berries are the most toxic parts, and that its glossy red berries have a dark spot at the tip and its leaves are divided into 3 to 5 toothed leaflets; false Solomon’s seal has simple, smooth-edged leaves with parallel veins (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). Red baneberry is not recorded near DC: it is not on the Smithsonian checklist of the Washington-Baltimore area, NC State’s range for it does not include DC, Maryland or Virginia, and iNaturalist has no sightings within 25 km of DC.

  • Solomon’s seal (& false Solomon’s seal): how to grow, forage & eat Tyrant Farms
  • Solomon’s Plume: Identification, Uses, and Benefits (Ashley Adamant) Practical Self Reliance
  • Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s Seal, Feathery False Lily of the Valley) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • False Solomon’s Seal, Maianthemum racemosum (Susan Mahr) University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture
  • Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part II: Monocotyledons (Shetler & Orli, 2002) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
  • iNaturalist research-grade observations of red baneberry (Actaea rubra) within 25 km of downtown DC (count: 0) iNaturalist

• True Solomon’s seal (smooth Solomon’s seal) Polygonatum biflorum toxic

  NC State and Wisconsin Extension say the two have very similar leaves and are often found growing together. True Solomon’s seal has bell-shaped, creamy white flowers hanging from the leaf joints along the stem, followed by blue to black berries; false Solomon’s seal has a feathery cluster of flowers at the tip of the stem that becomes a cluster of red berries (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). NC State lists true Solomon’s seal fruit as poisonous (vomiting, diarrhea), and Edible Wild Food says never to eat any part of it.

  • Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s Seal, Feathery False Lily of the Valley) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • False Solomon’s Seal, Maianthemum racemosum (Susan Mahr) University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture
  • Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon’s Seal) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • False Solomon Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) Edible Wild Food

• Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum toxic

  Practical Self Reliance says people mistake jack-in-the-pulpit fruit for edible red berries, that it often grows near false Solomon’s seal, and that its berries sit in a dense club-shaped cluster on a short bare stem rather than at the tip of an arching leafy stem. NC State says it bears a cluster of bright red berries in mid to late summer, after most plants in a colony have vanished, and that all parts are poisonous and cause severe pain in the mouth if eaten. The Smithsonian checklist lists it for DC, Maryland and Virginia.

  • Solomon’s Plume: Identification, Uses, and Benefits (Ashley Adamant) Practical Self Reliance
  • Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part II: Monocotyledons (Shetler & Orli, 2002) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany

• Starry false Solomon’s seal (starry Solomon’s plume) Maianthemum stellatum harmless (may be edible)

  Wisconsin Extension calls it similar to false Solomon’s seal but shorter, with fewer but larger flowers, narrower leaves that clasp the stem, and darker, almost black berries. Practical Self Reliance says its berries are edible. It is listed as endangered in Maryland and as critically imperiled to imperiled in Virginia (Maryland DNR; Virginia DCR), so leave it alone.

  • False Solomon’s Seal, Maianthemum racemosum (Susan Mahr) University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture
  • Solomon’s Plume: Identification, Uses, and Benefits (Ashley Adamant) Practical Self Reliance
  • List of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants of Maryland (March 2026) Maryland DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service, Natural Heritage Program
  • Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Plants (September 2026) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage

• Canada mayflower (wild lily-of-the-valley) Maianthemum canadense harmless (may be edible)

  Practical Self Reliance says Canada mayflower’s berries can confuse beginners, but the plant is much smaller, 4 to 8 inches tall with only 2 or 3 leaves, and says its small speckled red berries are mildly toxic in quantity and should not be eaten. NC State lists no poisonous parts for it and says its small spotted berries turn dark red from August to September; no safety source checked confirms the warning.

  • Solomon’s Plume: Identification, Uses, and Benefits (Ashley Adamant) Practical Self Reliance
  • Maianthemum canadense (Canada Mayflower) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Safety flags

• Eat in moderation

  not named (laxative effect): NC State says raw fruit can act as a laxative in large quantities, and Edible Wild Food says the same. Tyrant Farms advises not eating too many at once until you know how your body reacts. No source gives an amount.

  • Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s Seal, Feathery False Lily of the Valley) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • False Solomon Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) Edible Wild Food
  • Solomon’s seal (& false Solomon’s seal): how to grow, forage & eat Tyrant Farms

ID risk

Careful

Why

True Solomon’s seal, whose fruit NC State lists as poisonous, has very similar leaves and often grows alongside; its flowers and blue to black berries hang from the leaf joints along the stem, while false Solomon’s seal’s red berries sit in a cluster at the stem tip (NC State; Wisconsin Extension). Other plants with red berries need the same check: lily-of-the-valley (6 to 10 inches tall, berries seldom formed; deadly, Penn State), red baneberry (berries with a dark tip spot and toothed, divided leaves; deadly, NC State; not recorded near DC) and jack-in-the-pulpit (berries in a club-shaped cluster on a short bare stalk; NC State). Pick only from a tall, arching, leafy stem with the berry cluster at its tip.

Soil risk

low

Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)

When to pick

Wisconsin Extension says the berries ripen in late summer or fall, and Edible Wild Food says they turn ruby red in late summer. NC State says the fruits are available from August to October in North Carolina, turning ruby red in summer and lasting into fall. Ripe berries are translucent ruby red; green or speckled berries are not yet ripe (Wisconsin Extension), and the berries in one cluster do not all ripen at once (Edible Wild Food). Tyrant Farms, in South Carolina, says ripe berries can be foraged from about September into winter if birds do not eat them, so a few may hang on past October. No source gives DC dates, so the start and peak here are estimates.

Where to look

Rich, moist woods, stream valleys and woodland trails, often near true Solomon’s seal; logged most in Rock Creek Park, at Huntley Meadows Park, in Watkins Regional Park, in Glencarlyn Park and in Cabin John Regional Park, all of which are look-only. The C&O Canal allows edible fruits and berries generally but sets no limit for false Solomon’s seal, so it is ambiguous there (ask the park). Picking is allowed in Virginia state parks such as Leesylvania and Mason Neck, though it is logged there only a few times, or on private land with the owner’s permission. Look for the red berry clusters at the tips of the arching stems in late summer and fall.

Habitats

old fields & meadows, woods edges, trailsides & thickets, floodplain & stream-valley forest, upland oak-hickory woods

Most-logged places

None of the most-logged places allows picking.

Where you may pick

C&O Canal NHP’s compendium says edible fruits, nuts and berries may be gathered by hand for personal use but sets limits only for listed species; this one is not listed, so its status there is ambiguous: confirm with the park. Virginia state parks allow edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts to be collected for personal or individual use (4VAC5-30-50). Not on Prince William Forest Park’s list. Rock Creek Park (which also runs Glover-Archbold, Battery Kemble, the western and northern Civil War Defenses forts and many small DC reservations) bans gathering any fruit, nut, berry or seed. Pick on private land only with the owner’s permission. Birds, bees and small mammals eat the fruits (NC State); leave plenty for wildlife. Do not pick its smaller relative, starry false Solomon’s seal, which is listed as endangered in Maryland and as critically imperiled to imperiled in Virginia (Maryland DNR; Virginia DCR).

Best legal spot

Leesylvania State Park (5 obs)

• C&O Canal NHP (incl. Great Falls MD, trail-side only)

  Allowed: ambiguous · no limit set for this species; by hand, personal use; confirm with the park

  C&O 2026 compendium 2.1(c)(1): 'Edible fruits, nuts, berries, and mushrooms may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption.' The limits table that follows does not list this species. 36 CFR 2.1(c)(1) requires designating 'certain' fruits, so the narrower reading (listed species only) is also possible. Confirm with the park.

• Virginia State Parks

  Allowed: yes · personal/individual use only; no quantity set (state parks within ~50 km: Mason Neck, Leesylvania); individual parks may post closures

  4VAC5-30-50 bars gathering any plant without a permit, except that edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts may be collected for personal or individual use; the ripe false Solomon’s seal berry is an edible berry

Every park’s rules

Ways to use it

• eat a few fully ripe red berries raw as a trail nibble (NC State; Edible Wild Food)
• cooked, or made into jelly or molasses (NC State)
• jelly: simmer and mash the berries in water, strain out the juice, then cook it with chopped pears, pectin and sugar (Edible Wild Food)
• harvest only the fully red berries, picking a few from each cluster, since they do not all ripen at once (Edible Wild Food)

Keeping

No source gives a storage time; refrigerate and use within a few days, freeze them, or make jelly and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer, because there is no tested canning recipe.

Use within

within a few days

Keeps fresh

No source gives a storage time for the picked berries. Soft, ripe berries are perishable: refrigerate and use within a few days (general guidance for fresh fruit), or freeze them.

Canning

no tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can

Keeping basis

general guidance for its type

Ways to keep it

• Freeze as researched: freeze; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)

  Freeze whole berries dry on a tray, then pack them in containers; dry packs work well for whole berries, and frozen fruit is best used within 8 to 12 months (general guidance for berries, University of Minnesota Extension).

• Jam/jelly as researched: jam/jelly; canning: no tested recipe — refrigerate or freeze

  Edible Wild Food makes jelly from the strained juice with pears and pectin. No tested canning recipe exists for false Solomon’s seal, so keep the jelly in the refrigerator or freezer. Do not seal jars with paraffin: NCHFP says paraffin or wax seals are no longer recommended for any sweet spread.

Nutrition

Not researched: in October 2026, only the calendar’s plants of the month and chicory leaves were researched.

Native or not

Origin

native

Native range

most of North America (Canada, the United States and Mexico)

Virginia invasive rank

not listed

Maryland invasive status

not listed

How the ratings were set

Find

Common in the right habitat Estimate 1,616 = 1,436 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 173 needs-ID sightings counted at 95% (1,436 of the 1,510 research-grade Maianthemum sightings here are false Solomon’s seal) + 15 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 1 by count (rule B). Rule C: Wisconsin Extension says "This species often enters a garden as a volunteer", but the article is about planting it in shaded borders, woodland gardens or native plant gardens and describes how it arrives there, not that it is common in, or a weed of, yards and gardens; none of its other sources names an everyday place, so it cannot be tier 1 (Everywhere). Final tier 2.

Effort

Grab & eat Pick fully red berries from the cluster at the stem tip and eat a few raw; jelly (simmer and mash the berries, strain the juice, then cook it with pears, pectin and sugar) is a 2 (Edible Wild Food; NC State).

Sources

31 sources, each linked to the original.

1. Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
2. C&O Canal NHP Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
3. Prince William Forest Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park Service, Prince William Forest ParkBacks up: picking rules
4. 4VAC5-30-50. Flowers, plants, minerals, etc. Virginia Law Library (law.lis.virginia.gov)Backs up: picking rules
5. False Solomon’s Seal, Maianthemum racemosum (Susan Mahr) University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin HorticultureBacks up: description, habitat, season, safety
6. Solomon’s seal (& false Solomon’s seal): how to grow, forage & eat Tyrant FarmsBacks up: description, habitat, season, safety
7. False Solomon Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) Edible Wild FoodBacks up: description, habitat, season, uses, safety
8. Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s Seal, Feathery False Lily of the Valley) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: description, habitat, season, uses, safety, picking rules, native or invasive status
9. iNaturalist research-grade observations of Maianthemum racemosum within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
10. Maianthemum racemosum (L.) Link (Eastern Solomon’s-plume, False Solomon’s-seal) Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (Virginia Botanical Associates)Backs up: habitat, findability
11. Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part II: Monocotyledons (Shetler & Orli, 2002) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of BotanyBacks up: habitat, safety
12. USDA PLANTS Database: Maianthemum racemosum (MARA7), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
13. Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
14. Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
15. Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
16. Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
17. Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
18. Solomon’s Plume: Identification, Uses, and Benefits (Ashley Adamant) Practical Self RelianceBacks up: safety
19. Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon’s Seal) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
20. Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
21. Ramps (Allium tricoccum) Penn State ExtensionBacks up: safety
22. Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
23. Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
24. Maianthemum canadense (Canada Mayflower) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
25. iNaturalist research-grade observations of red baneberry (Actaea rubra) within 25 km of downtown DC (count: 0) iNaturalistBacks up: safety
26. List of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants of Maryland (March 2026) Maryland DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service, Natural Heritage ProgramBacks up: safety, picking rules
27. Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Plants (2026-Fall) Virginia DCR Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: safety, picking rules
28. iNaturalist month-of-year histogram of research-grade false Solomon’s seal observations annotated fruiting within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: season
29. General Information on Canning Jams, Jellies and Marmalades National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia)Backs up: storage, keeping
30. How to freeze fruit safely University of Minnesota ExtensionBacks up: storage, keeping
31. False Solomon Seal and Pear Jelly Recipe Edible Wild FoodBacks up: uses, storage, keeping