A Giant Among Plants: Grow ‘Solomon’s Seal’ as a Native Medicinal

Reader Contribution by Barry Glick and Sunrise Farm And Gardens
Published on March 23, 2020
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This article is republished with permissions from theJanuary 2020 issueof Washington Gardener, a publication covering Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area gardens.

If you’ve read any of my past diatribes, you know that I favor scientific, botanical nomenclature above “common names”. That’s caused many of my readers to come to think of me as a know-it-all. Not the case! But, I’m going to save the plant name discussion for a later date. I just want to inform you that I have no problem with common names, although sometimes they don’t tell you anything about the plant or don’t seem to make any sense.

Well, here’s a definite exception to that rule: Polygonatum canaliculatum, otherwise known as ‘Giant Solomon’s Seal’, a remarkable plant that’s native to every state in the U.S. aside from eight Western states. This plant is a giant in more ways than its size.

Comparing Varieties of ‘Solomon’s Seal’

If you’re not familiar with this plant, I’ll bet you know its “little” cousin, Polygonatum biflorum, the ‘True Solomon’s Seal’, native to the same geographic area. That common name distinguishes it from Maianthemum racemosum, formerly Smilacina racemosa, or the ‘False Solomon’s Seal’. I’m not fond of that common name — if you have to use a common name, try ‘Solomon’s Plume’.

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