A beautiful ground cover plant that is not edible, despite the assumption from what the name might suggest. The foliage has a faint vanilla fragrance when dried. Look for large beds of Vanilla leaf covering the patches of the forest floor at Silver Falls.

Spreading by underground roots, 3 fan-shaped, coarsely toothed leaflets at top of 4–15 in. stems. Central leaflet divided into 3 lobes. Leaves horizontal. Stem single, longer than leaf, holds spike of small white flowers with long stamens giving a starry look. Berries reddish purple. Similar A. californica, deer foot, has 6–8 lobes on central leaflet, and brown berries. Called vanilla leaf for the sweet smell of the dried leaves.

Rarity: Common
Flowering Time: Early Spring-Mid Summer
Life Cycle: Perennial
Height: 8--16 inches
Habitat: Coastal, West-Side Forest
Found In: Olympic Np, Mt. Rainier Np, N Cascades Np, Crater Lake Np, Siskiyous, West Gorge
Native: Yes