A beautiful ground cover plant that is not edible, despite the assumption from what the name might suggest. The foliage has a faint vanilla fragrance when dried. Look for large beds of Vanilla leaf covering the patches of the forest floor at Silver Falls.
Description:
Spreading by underground roots, Vanilla Leaf has a single large, sweet-scented leaf that is divided into three leaflets with scalloped edges that resemble wings.
The central leaflet is divided into 3 lobes, the leaves are horizontal. single-stem, longer than leaf.
It holds spike of small white flowers with long stamens giving a starry look.
The berries are a reddish-purple.
Similar to Achlys. californica, “deer foot”, which has 6–8 lobes on central leaflet, and brown berries.
Called vanilla leaf for the sweet smell of the dried leaves.
The fragrant leaves can reportedly act as an insect repellant when dried!
Rarity: Common
Flowering Time: Early Spring-Mid Summer
Life Cycle: Perennial
Height: 8 to 16 inches
Habitat: Coastal, West-Side Forest
Native: Yes
Source: Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
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