Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Dwarf Solomon's Seal

Polygonatum humile (po-lig-oh-NAY-tum HEW-mil-ee)

Family: Asparagaceae Non-native Groundcover (<1 ft)

Dwarf Solomon's Seal is a low growing herbaceous perennial in the Asparagaceae (asparagus) family native to Asia. It spreads by pencil-sized rhizomes just below the soil surface in a small, low colony. Plant it in organically rich moist soils in partial to full shade though it does best with some sun. In the spring flowers appear in the leaf axils followed by showy blue-black fruits. Plant it in the front of borders, in a rock or cottage garden or use it as a ground cover in a woodland garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. The berries are poisonous if eaten, but they cause low toxicity. More information on Polygonatum .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 60 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Native alternatives Polygonatum biflorum

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Herbaceous Perennial; Perennial; Poisonous
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 0 ft. 9 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate ovate to laceolate 3" long green leaves, with parallel veins
Flower color
Green; White
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower shape
Bell; Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Tubular, bell-shaped 3/4" flowers in spring, borne in leaf axis. Typically one flower per axil, sometimes 2.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Blue
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Blue-black berries hang from the axils.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Upright stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
East Kazakhstan to Japan
Play value
Shade; Textural
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Shoots
Fruit type
Berry

Edibility

Shoots are edible after boiling.

Uses (ethnobotany)

The shoots can be boiled for 10 minutes and served like asparagus. Whole shoots can be cut up and put into salads.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Naturalized Area; Slope/Bank; Small Space; Woodland
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Rain Garden; Shade Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Mass Planting; Small groups; Specimen
Garden tags
#poisonous fruits #groundcover #rabbit resistant #deer resistant #showy fruits #rock garden #border front #black fruits #blue fruits #cottage garden #woodland #edible
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Rabbits
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Fruits
Poison symptoms
Vomiting, diarrhea.
Toxic principle
Anthraquinone.
Contact dermatitis
No
Toxicity summary
Low severity poison; parts: Fruits

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.