Polygonatum biflorum (Walter) Elliott

Stem slender or stout, 4–12(–25) dm, arching or erect; cauline bract foliaceous, persistent; lvs sessile and often clasping, lance-elliptic to broadly oval, 5–15 × 1–8 cm, glabrous, paler and glaucous beneath, with 7–19 prominent veins; peduncles slender or flattened, arcuate, not strongly deflexed, 1–15-fld; pedicels usually shorter than the peduncle; fls 14–22 mm, mostly greenish-white or yellowish-green; filaments mostly glabrous or minutely roughened; 2n=20, 40. Moist woods, thickets, and roadsides; Mass. and s. N.H. to Minn., Man., and N.D., s. to Fla. and n. Mex. May– July. Tetraploids are usually larger and coarser than diploids, with more numerous fls on each peduncle and more numerous, stronger veins in the lvs, and have been called P. commutatum (P. canaliculatum, misapplied), but some diploids are as large as any tetraploid. A few plants from se. Mich. and adj. Ont. with honey-yellow fls and ± hairy filaments have been called var. melleum (Farw.) R. P. Ownbey.

It is a temperate plant. It grows in open forests and forest clearings. It is a temperate plant. It does best in light well-drained soil. It suits a protected, shaded position. It is resistant to frost but sensitive to drought. It suits hardiness zones 3-7.

The young shoots without the leafy heads can be boiled for 10 minutes then served like asparagus. The whole plant can be chopped up and added to salads. The starchy rootstock can be added to stews or boiled for 20 minutes and eaten. It is boiled in alkaline water, washed and peeled, then re-boiled. The rhizome is also a source of starch.

Plants can be grown by division.