Achlys triphylla
Achlys triphylla, with the common names deer foot, vanilla leaf, or sweet after death, is a plant species native to the mountains of the West Coast of North America.
Description
Achlys triphylla is an herb up to tall. It grows in patches of paired stalks, one topped by a leaf, the other a flower spike. The leaf is trifoliate, with leaflets up to long; the middle leaflet has 3–5 or exceptionally 8 teeth. The dried leaves smell like vanilla.
Blooming from April to June, the flower spike is up to long, with small flowers lacking petals and sepals, but including 6–13 white stamens.
Similar species
The species resembles A. californica, which has 6–8 teeth on the middle leaflet.
Distribution and habitat
Native to the woods of mountains of the West Coast of North America, the species has been reported from the Cascades and from the Coast Ranges in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and northern California, at elevations of up to.
Host Associations
This plant is the sole host of the west coast endemic aphid Macrosiphum tuberculaceps.
Medicinal uses
Multiple Pacific Northwest tribes use the leaves in an infusion drink for tuberculosis. One Lummi informant said the whole plant was mashed and soaked in water, which was drunk as an emetic.