posted 8 years ago
I can't imagine a cultivated variety of mayapple being commercially viable, since a certain number of the stems in any colony are unbranched and thus produce no fruit. Too much "wasted space," I'd think, for breeders to mess with.
Depending on how low-growing you need the plants to be, you might consider gooseberries. Plenty of improved varieties there. They grow and produce in the shade of the woods, but I've noticed that there is a significant yield decrease as shade increases, at least for the wild ones in our woodlot. The bushes growing on the edge are prolific, the bushes growing a hundred feet or more in not so much.