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Maianthemum stellatum (Starry False Solomon's Seal)

Maianthemum stellatum (Starry False Solomon's Seal)

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Regular price $ 245.00
Regular price Sale price $ 245.00
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Shipping calculated at checkout.

$30 minimum per species for seed.

Each species requires a minimum of $30 of seed to proceed with checkout.

Pure Live Seed

Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.

Pure Live Seed (PLS) refers to the percentage of a seed lot that consists of the desired species and is viable (capable of germination).   

Here's why PLS is crucial for native seeds:

  • Accurate Planting:
    • PLS helps determine the actual number of viable seeds in a given weight or volume of seed.   
    • This ensures you plant the correct amount of seed to achieve the desired density and success rate.   
  • Cost-Effectiveness:
    • By knowing the PLS, you can avoid overspending on seed that may not germinate.
    • This is especially important for native seeds, which can be more expensive than some cultivated varieties.
  • Weed Control:
    • PLS helps minimize the presence of weed seeds within the seed lot.
    • This reduces competition for resources and ensures the successful establishment of the desired native plants.
  • Ecological Restoration:
    • Using high-quality native seeds with a high PLS is essential for successful ecological restoration projects.
    • It helps to re-establish diverse and resilient plant communities that support local wildlife.

Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.

0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces

  • 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
  • 0.25 pounds  = 4 ounces
  • 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
  • 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
  • 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces

Starry false Solomon's seal has a slightly zigzagging stem that often leans to one side. Partial light and moisture-retaining ground suit it, including sandy soils.

For Smilacina stellata, choose partial sun and moist to slightly dry soil. Recorded habitats include sand prairies; Moist woodland meadows; Woodland margins; Sandy riverbanks; Partly wooded slopes; Black oak savannas; Calcareous seeps; Shrubby dunes. Reported height: 1-2½ ft.

Growth habit: stout rhizomes readily form colonies. Allow space for this growth between neighboring plants over several seasons, rather than spacing only for the size of a young plant.

Plant specifications & ecological relationships

Key growing facts

Sunlight Partial sun
Soil moisture Moist to slightly dry
Height 1-2½ ft
Bloom season Late spring
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
Growth habit Stout rhizomes readily form colonies
Root form Rhizomes
Deer browsing Deer can crop the leafy stems substantially.

Plant identification & seed reference

Botanical name Smilacina stellata
Other common names starry false solomons seal
Plant family Convallariaceae

Planting, growth & seasonal care

Flowering season: late spring. Use this timing when planning seasonal interest with the other plants in the bed.

Browsing guidance: Deer can crop the leafy stems substantially.

Use the selected product option to confirm the supply format and quantity. For a mixed planting, calculate the order from the actual species and layout; a plant’s mature height alone does not determine a seed rate or plug spacing.

Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
Wetland indicator — Corps Chicago 2017 table FAC
C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 5
Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 Yes
Native range — U.S. states Alaska; Arizona; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Dakota; Tennessee; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming
County nativity Not yet verified; occurrence records do not establish nativity.

Regional assessment notes

This taxon is native to parts of the United States. Flora of the Chicago Region (2017) also records this taxon as native in the Chicago region.

For this range, WCVP treats Smilacina stellata as Maianthemum stellatum.

These records describe botanical distribution. They do not establish county occurrence or suitability for every site; an unlisted state is not proof of absence.

Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates

Other documented plant associations

These published records describe plants associated with Smilacina stellata. Each entry retains the geographic scope of its source; these are not all Chicago-region observations. Plants recorded in the same community may occupy different microsites, so the list is not a garden-companion prescription.

  • Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple)
    Sugar-maple commercial range; regional synthesis — Shrub or flowering-plant associates in sugar-maple forests [AG07]
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlifeNo verified list yet

No additional named relationships have been verified for this listing.

Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions

What are the ideal growing conditions for Starry False Solomon's Seal?
Maianthemum stellatum performs best in full sun with mesic to dry-mesic (sandy savannas & prairies) conditions. It thrives in authentic regional soil types ranging from sandy loam to well-drained clay loams.

How do I germinate and establish Starry False Solomon's Seal from seed?
Seed of Maianthemum stellatum has a germination code of C(30). For best results, sow seed in late fall/winter for natural outdoor freeze-thaw stratification, or cold-moist stratify in refrigeration for 30 to 60 days before spring indoor propagation.

Is Starry False Solomon's Seal deer and herbivore resistant?
Yes. Native plants adapted to Midwestern habitats naturally produce protective secondary compounds and fibrous textures that make them highly resistant to deer, rabbits, and other grazing herbivores.

When should I expect Starry False Solomon's Seal to emerge and bloom?
Established plants break dormancy in spring as soil temperatures warm, developing vigorous foliage before blooming in their seasonal window to provide vital nectar when native pollinators need it most.

Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
  1. [AG07] Silvics of North America: Sugar Maple. USDA Forest Service, 1990. Plant associations; shrubs and flowering plants. Historical literature synthesis; geographic qualifiers are retained above.

A relationship shown on both product pages refers to the same cited record, not two independent observations. These sources document ecological associations, not the provenance of the products offered here.

C-value source: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), Universal FQA database 80. Matched source taxon: Smilacina stellata. Exact.

View the C-value source

Sources checked September 5, 2026. Regional assessments and growing observations apply to their stated settings. Unverified fields are omitted; missing information does not mean an ecological relationship is absent.

  1. Illinois Wildflowers — John Hilty. Limited botanical facts presented in Natural Communities’ own wording. Source-specific observations retain their stated scope; photographs, original descriptive prose and compiled relationship tables are excluded. Supports: Bloom Season; Deer Resistance; Height; Opening botanical description; Primary Native Habitats; Root Architecture & Depth; Soil Moisture Range; Spread Habit; Sun Exposure; Sunlight Exposure.
  2. Universal FQA — Flora-linked Chicago database 80. Taxonomic names, family and regional nativity originally checked against Kenneth Johnson’s Flora-linked database 80 (2018), citing Wilhelm & Rericha (2017). Limited factual identification only; the C-value follows this Flora-linked database wherever an exact or documented synonym match is available. Supports: Alternate Common Names; Botanical Name; Chicago-region native status; Plant Family.
  3. USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Supports: Wetland Indicator Status.

Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.

Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.

U.S. state nativity: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 4 June 2026 release, under Maianthemum stellatum. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; CC BY 3.0. Native records selected; introduced, doubtful and extinct records excluded. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data; no endorsement is implied. State nativity is separate from Chicago-region nativity, county occurrence and the origin of nursery stock.

U.S. states with native records: Alaska; Arizona; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Dakota; Tennessee; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming.

Plant Shipping & Care

We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.

As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.

 

Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories

  • Retail - We only offer shipping & shipping is calculated at check out*
    • We do not offer retail pick up
  • Wholesale - Delivery is customized based on order size and location
  • Wholesale - Pickup is free

 

Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready

We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.

Wholesale Orders

  • Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.

 

Retail & Website Orders

  • Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
  • Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
  • Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
  • If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months. 
  • Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
  • Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
  • If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready.  In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments 
  • Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability.  We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish.  If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date.  If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
  • Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
  • Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.

Where We Ship

 

 

        What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery

        • Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
        • We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.

         

           Shipments

          • Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.

           

           

          What to Do With Your Plants After  Receiving Your Delivery

          • Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
          • Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
          • Water your plants
          • Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
          • If you cannot install your plants immediately
            • Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
            • Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
            • Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
            • No additional fertilizer is needed
          How to install native plugs

          Seed Shipping & Care

          There is a minimum order requirement of $30 for each seed species. Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.

          We have attempted to put together some basic information regarding native seed installation, establishment, and maintenance.  We hope you find it helpful.  If you need further assistance on native seed establishment, please schedule a free consolation call here.

          Consultation Services

          Ecosystem Restoration Considerations

          Native Seed Establishment Best Management Practices

          Native Seed Stratification Best Management Practices

          View full details

          Solving a Site Problem? Get Expert Advice + Get Store Credit

          Whether you're fighting severe erosion, replacing invasive species, designing a pollinator haven, or seeding large acreage, choosing the wrong species wastes time and money. Talk 1-on-1 with a restoration ecologist to map out the exact species, plug counts, or seed mixes for your soil and goals. Book a consultation and get all or a portion credited directly back to your order.

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