Hairy Solomon's Seal is a flowering, herbaceous perennial wildflower native to eastern Canada and the United States. Most sources place this plant in the asparagus family, but others place it in the morning glory or lily families. It is found in partial to heavily shaded woodlands, slopes or thickets with average to moist rich soils. It is commonly found in the mountains of North Carolina and less common at lower elevations. It can be confused with P. biflorum but it is smaller, it is distinguished by minute hairs along veins on the undersides of leaves and has a smaller number of white or yellow spring flowers that bloom in clusters of 1 to 3 blossoms (as opposed to 12 blossoms of P. biflorum ). The genus name comes from Greek words poly meaning many and gonu meaning knee joint in reference to the jointed plant rhizomes. Hairy Solomon's Seal does best in medium to wet, well drained, humusy soil in partial or full shade. It will slowly spread by means of rhizomes and will form colonies where conditions are favorable. This plant is sensitive to heat and does not tolerate drought. Most growth and development occurs during the cool weather of spring. Clemson University Home and Garden website has an article on planting and growing Polygonatum species. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests. Aphids, thrips, and caterpillars can be a problem. More information on Polygonatum .
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.
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; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 6 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Erect; Mounding; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Simple, narrow, lanceolate-elliptic 2 to 5 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide. Entire margins, pointed or blunt at the tip. Upper side is hairless with parallel veins underside hairy. Conspicuously parallel-veined leaves turn an attractive yellow in fall.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green; White
Flower shape
Bell
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
One to three bell-shaped, stalked, yellow-green flowers, 1/2 inch long, suspended below the leaves on short peduncles. Six flaring lobes hide the stamens. Flowers are difficult to see under leaves. Flowers bloom from April to June.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Blue; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Blue-black berries, 1/4 inch in diameter, become available August through October.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Erect at the bottom but arches under the weight of leaves toward the top. Unbranched, zig-zag form, almost hairless. The central stem is light to medium green and glabrous.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and central North America
Wildlife value
Flowers attract the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, honeybees, and bumblebees.