Common Moonseed, Menispermum canadense L., Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Canada Moonseed

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Canada Moonseed	Menispermum canadense L.	Moonseed (Menispermaceae)	Upland	Late Spring to Early summer
Other names and notes	(Common Moonseed). This is a vine with large, broad, shallowly lobed leaves, no teeth, that are alternate on thin stalks. The whitish flowers are very small and appear in axillary clusters, beginning bloom in early June. The sepals are longer than the petals. The vine does not have tendrils. The fruit is black, resembling small 1/4" grapes but should not be eaten as there are mildly toxic. The name "moonseed" refers to the seed itself which resembles a quarter moon and the genus is itself composed of two Greek words referring to "moon" (Menis) and "seed" (spermum).


Above: A single flower just opening.

Notes: It is indigenous to the Garden. Eloise Butler introduced this plant to the Garden with plants collected right in Glenwood Park on May 31, 1907. She planted an additional plant in 1909 and on July 17, 1910 found that the plant already existed in another part of the Garden and found more on Aug. 14, 1912. The plant is native to a broad range of counties across the state with scattered exceptions and absent in the Arrowhead.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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