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Herb-Paris

Herb-Paris

Paris quadrifolia

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How common: Very common

Herb-Paris is a small woodland plant with four large leaves in a cross at the top of a single stem. In early summer it carries one unusual green flower that turns into a single blue‑black berry. It is a poisonous species found in shady, moist forests across much of Europe and parts of Asia.

Did you know?

  • Its Latin name quadrifolia means “four-leaved,” though plants sometimes have five or more leaves.
  • The berry looks a bit like a blueberry, but there is only one on top of the stem and it is poisonous.

About the species

Identification

15–35 cm tall, with an unbranched, pale green stem. Four (sometimes five) large oval leaves meet in a circle near the top. In the center stands a single green flower with eight leaf‑like parts: four broader outer ones and four very narrow, thread‑like inner ones. Later a single, waxy blue‑black berry 1–2 cm wide develops. The lone top berry and the leaf circle set it apart from blueberries and other shrubs. All parts, especially the berry, are poisonous. Flowers in Finland in May–June.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

herb-rich forest

Toxicity

A poisonous plant – do not taste it. Source: HUS Poison Information Centre (Finland), tel. 0800 147 111.

Flowering

May–Jun

About the habitat

Grows in moist, shady, nutrient‑rich forests and groves, along streams and springs, and in damp woodland meadows and fens. Spreads slowly by a creeping underground stem. Common throughout the country, rare in Lapland.

Sources

Photo: Justus Müller-Kiefer, CC0 1.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6185533555

Text: Pinkka: Yläkoulun Pinkka - Lehto, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39967

Text: Pinkka: Laaja maatalouslajintuntemus 4 op - Koppisiemeniset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39967

Text: Pinkka (Luomus), CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39967

Text: Pinkka: Maatalouslajintuntemus - 1-sirkkaiset: Melanthiaceae - Iridaceae, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39967

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudenmarja

See also