May apple

American  

Or Mayapple

noun

1. an American plant, Podophyllum peltatum, of the barberry family, bearing an edible, yellowish, egg-shaped fruit.

2. the fruit itself.

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May apple British  

noun

1. an American berberidaceous plant, Podophyllum peltatum, with edible yellowish egg-shaped fruit

2. the fruit of this plant

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Etymology

Origin of May apple

An Americanism dating back to 1725–35

Example Sentences

The forest now hosts a rich variety of native plants, including May apple, ferns, grasses, azaleas and magnolias.

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2022

Podophyllum resin, or podophyllin, is the resin of the dried root of the mandrake or May apple; Carter combined this with the dried juice of aloes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Of the May apple I did not raise one green tent without finding a flower beneath.

From The Niagara River by Hulbert, Archer Butler

She taken May apple roots an' boiled hit down to a syrup; den she let dat, dry out an' rolled hit inter pills.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Mississippi Narratives by Work Projects Administration

So its name of May apple comes from this fruit, which has a sickly sweet taste.

From The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. by Shaw, Ellen Eddy