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

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

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

From The Niagara River by Hulbert, Archer Butler

Next the umbrella tops of the May apple leaves began to push up.

From Penguin Persons & Peppermints by Eaton, Walter Prichard