Found in moist shade during May.

This very slender and smooth little stalk grows from 3 to 5 inches in height, bears one or two sheath-like leaves near the root, and terminates in a whorl of leaves at the top. It is green, slightly reddish at the foot.

The long leaf is sharp-pointed at both ends, with an entire margin, a thin and delicate texture which shows plainly the pattern-like tracery of the ribs and veins, and a shining surface; the color is a full green. 6, or more, leaves, of unequal size, spread in a whorl upon the summit of the stalk.

The flower has 7 nearly diamond-shaped parts, of a thin texture, and pure white color; they spread flat, their edges just overlapping in a 7-pointed star, the 7 long, and narrow, greenish divisions of the calyx alternating with them; the 10 thread-like stamens are white, with orange tips. A single flower, borne on a slender stem, rises from the whorl of leaves.

The number of the corolla-divisions sometimes varies, but 7 is the usual measure. It is noticeable that the flower-stem is set a trifle underneath the lap of the leaves, causing an inclination of the star to one side. A tiny leaf is found sitting on the stalk just under the leafy canopy.