Flower:

Small clusters (umbels) at the ends of branching stems, made up of 2 to 4 small round clusters (umbellets) about ½ inch across and consisting of 20 to 60 flowers each. Flowers are either male or perfect (both male and female parts), with both present in some umbellets and others all male. Flowers are greenish white with 5 petals longer than the sepals, and protruding stamens with greenish white tips that turn brown with age. Perfect flowers are nearly stalkless, have a small ovary covered in hooked bristles, and 2 long spreading styles that are much longer than the bristles. The styles persist and become arching as the flower matures.

Leaves and stems:

Leaves are both basal and alternate on the stem, palmately compound with 5 or 7 leaflets, or 5 leaflets with the end pair deeply cleft so looks like 7. Leaflets are up to 6 inches long and to 2 inches wide, coarsely toothed or double-toothed, hairless, wedge-shaped at the base and usually widest above the middle, often with notches or shallow lobes on the tip half.

Basal and lower stem leaves are long stalked, becoming stalkless or nearly so in the upper plant. Stems are erect, hairless, and branched in the upper plant.

Fruit:

The fruit is dry, round to somewhat oval, about 1/6 inch long and covered in hooked bristles. The long arching style remains at the tip. The fruit splits into 2 seeds.

Notes:

There are 4 Sanicula species in Minnesota, all with similar "pom-pom" like flower heads and palmately compound leaves. Maryland Black Snakeroot is easily distinguished from the others by its leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets, where the others have 3 or 5 leaflets.