Maryland Sanicle

Sanicula marilandica L. Sp. PL 235. 1753
Caucalis marilandica Crantz, Class. Umbell. 110. 1767.
Sanicula canadensis var. marylandica Hitchc. Trans. Acad. St. Louis 5: 497. 1889.
Triclinium Marilandica Raf.; B. D. Jackson, Ind. Kew. 2: 1110. 1895.
Sanicula marilandica var. borealis Fernald, Rhodora 28: 220. 1926.
Sanicula marilandica var. petiolulata Fernald, Rhodora 40: 448. 1938.
Plants erect, 2.5-10.5 dm. high, perennial from fibrous woody roots, glabrous, the stem usually solitary, umbellately branched above; leaves cuneate to suborbicular in general outline, excluding the petioles 2.5-12 cm. long, 5-21 cm. broad, palmately 5-parted (appearing 7-parted by division of the lateral primary divisions), the primary divisions oval to cuneate-obovate, obtuse to acute, petiolulate, doubly serrate to dentate-serrate with mucronate or spinulose teeth, deeply incised-lobed toward the apex; petioles 4-32 cm. long; cauline leaves becoming subsessile above; involucre of a few reduced, leaflike bracts; involucel of much reduced bractlets, like the bracts; fertile rays 10-70 mm. long, the umbels nearly regular; sterile and fertile flowers in the same umbellet, or the sterile numerous in separate, peduncled, capitate clusters; fertile pedicels obsolete; flowers greenish-white; calyx deeply cleft, the lobes narrowly lanceolate, attenuate, shorter than or equaling the petals; anthers greenish-white, conspicuously exserted; styles long, usually recurved, exceeding the bristles; fruits 3 in each umbellet, ovoid, narrowed toward the base, 4-6 mm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, sessile, the bristles numerous, crowded, conspicuously bulbous at the base, irregularly arranged, rudimentary below; oil-tubes large, solitary in the intervals, 2 on the commissure; seed ovate-oblong in cross section, sulcate on the dorsal surface, the commissural face plane, the scar broadly oval.
Type locality: "Habitat in Marilandia. Virginia," collector unknown.
Distribution: Newfoundland to Florida, west to British Columbia and New Mexico [Fernald if Wiegand 5950. Nelson 7525).

Sanicula marilandica, the Maryland sanicle or Maryland black snakeroot, is a flowering plant widespread in North America but rare along the Pacific coast of the continent and Texas. Sanicula marilandica is listed as Sensitive in Washington state.

Leaves with deeply incised lobes radiating out from the same point. Every leaf has no set number of leaflets, but commonly will have 5–7. The plant is not tall, but the fruiting stalk will rise up to 2 feet, bearing tiny green flowers in the spring. In the fall, the fruit stalk carries dehiscent fruit which splits, bearing small spines.