A short, often zigzag stem topped by a small, dense cluster of tiny, white, star-shaped flowers and bearing 1-3 ovate leaves.

About 1/8" long; sepals 2, petal-like; petals 2; stamens 4.

1-3" long, heart-shaped at base.

Berry, with 1-2 seeds; initaially green, turning a speckled, dull red in late sunner and red in fall.

2-6".

May-June.

Upland woods and clearings.

This common forest herb spreads by rhizomes and frequently forms carpet-like colonies. An unusual member of the lily family, it has only two petals, two sepals, and four stamens instead of the usual 3-3-6 pattern. The somewhat similar Three-leaved Solomon's Seal (Smilacina trifolia) usually has three elliptical leaves that taper at the base and white flower parts in a 6-pointed, star-like pattern; it is found in the East in wet, boggy, or mossy areas from Alberta east to Newfoundland and south to Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnasota.