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.

---

May apple British  

noun

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

2. the fruit of this plant

---

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

The leaf and stalk part of the May apple are of a poisonous nature.

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

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

From The Niagara River by Hulbert, Archer Butler

"That's a May apple," he said, suddenly and reluctantly.

From A Maid of the Kentucky Hills by Litsey, Edwin Carlile