Non-flowering stems usually have only one waxy
leaf, but on flowering plants there is one
basal leaf that withers away before flowering, and two stem leaves produced alternately up the 10–20 cm tall stems, which are topped off with many star-shaped white flowers. The leaves are heart to triangular, 3–8 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, with small fine hairs on the veins. The
flowers have four
tepals, four stamens and have two chambers in the pistil; flowering is in mid spring to early summer. This species, along with
Maianthemum canadense and
Maianthemum dilatatum are the only four-tepaled species. One to two seeds are produced in round, initially green
berries that are speckled red when immature and turn completely red with age. The whole plant, including the berries contains
cardiac glycosides and just a few grams can be poisonous to humans when ingested. It is considered safe to touch. Its fruit
persists for an average of 100 days, and bears an average of 1.8 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 71.1% water, and their
dry weight includes 26.9%
carbohydrates and 0.5%
lipids. ==Distribution and habitat==