False Solomon's Seal Traditional Geocache

False Solomon's Seal looks very different from Solomon's seal, once the flowers show. These are closer to town on the South Hill Recreation Trail. You will pass both kinds of Solomon's Seal on the way to the cache.

Maianthemum racemosum (treacleberry, feathery false lily of the valley,^[3] false Solomon's seal, Solomon's plume^[4][5] or false spikenard; syn. Smilacina racemosa, Vagnera racemosa) is a species of flowering plant native to North America. It is a common, widespread plant known from every US state except Hawaii, and from every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut, as well as from Mexico

The young shoots, while still tender and stripped of their leaves, can be simmered in water and eaten. Their delicate flavor is somewhat reminiscent of asparagus. However, they should not be collected for this purpose unless they are obviously abundant.

Although the young shoots are edible, the plant becomes too fibrous and bitter to enjoy after it completes flowering and seed setting stages. The Ojibwa Indians harvested the roots of this plant and cooked them in lye water overnight to remove the bitterness and neutralize their strong laxative qualities.

When young, Maianthemum racemosum may closely resemble members of the genus Veratrum, a highly toxic plant to which it is distantly related. Consequently, this plant should not be consumed unless identification is positive

Tha cache is a "small" camoed pill bottle. The Push and Turn kind. It has a rolled log, kept tight with a rubber band and a tiny zip lock bag. Please keep the rubber band on your finger while logging and try to remember to put it back on the rolled log, before putting it back in the bag, when you're done. No tweezers, please, they kill the plastic. BYOP.