Podophyllum pleianthum
Chinese May apple
berberidaceaeFoul-smelling deep red flowers; huge glossy
umbrellalike leaves
24–30 in. high; 24 in. wide
Part shade–full shade
Blooms April–May
Zones 6–9
pruning Do not prune. Plants will
die back to the ground with the first
fall freeze. Foliage may be left in place
to decompose or cleaned up in fall.
other maintenance Chinese May
apple is a stunning foliage plant for
moist, shady gardens. Loamy,
humus-rich, slightly acidic soils will
produce the huskiest specimens.
Avoid chemical fertilizers, which may
burn the leaves. Protect plants from
late frosts in spring. Many of the Asian
May apples resent disturbance, and
some will disappear for no apparent
reason, though this species is more
durable than most.related plantS Other Asian May
apples include Podophyllum delavayi
(also known as the Chinese May apple),
which has fantastic mottled red-brown
markings, and P. hexandrum (Hima-
layan May apple), which has pale pink
or white flowers followed by vivid red
fruit underneath its deeply lobed
leaves. Hybrids like ‘Galaxy’, ‘Kaleido-
scope’, and ‘Spotty Dotty’ have
amazing checkered foliage, but are
difficult to propagate and may take
some hunting to locate at nurseries.
Our native American May apple,
Podophyllum peltatum, is easier to grow
than its Asian cousins, but makes less
of an impact in the garden. Unlike the
Asian types, which hold their foliage
all season (unless drought-stressed), P.
peltatum naturally goes dormant in
summer. It forms a groundcover of
jagged green umbrellas reaching 8–18
in. tall and spreads quickly once it has
settled in. Mark their location to
divide plants in early spring or after
Podophyllum pleianthum dormancy in late summer or fall.