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

Another wild flower of striking beauty is the May apple or mandrake.

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

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

May apple, rhubarb, castor oil, and other cathartics that act upon the first or small bowels may be selected.

From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.