ABSTRACT
May-apple occurs throughout the eastern United States, from southern New England to southern Minnesota south to eastern Texas and northern Florida. In Canada, it is found in much of southern Ontario and Quebec. The species is found in moist, shady, deciduous, rich woodlands, forest edges, thickets, and marshy meadows and ditches. May-apple is a perennial herb, growing up to 60 cm (2 feet) tall, and producing one to three deeply lobed leaves. The foliage has the appearance of miniature umbrellas. Native Americans used May-apple as a purifying medicine to expel parasitic worms, and in the treatment of certain cancers, such as tumorous skin growths. The fruit is disagreeably scented when immature but considered pleasantly fragrant when ripe by most people. It has an odd subacid, faintly strawberry or guava flavor. May-apple is basically a medicinal plant, not a food plant. The Eurasian and American May-apples are major sources of anticancer drugs.
