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Botany of Tiarella
cordifolia L. var. cordifolia | Foamflower
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General Description |
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Family
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Saxifragaceae, Saxifrage | ||
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Habit
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semievergreen herbaceous perennial, 6-12" tall and wide | ||
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New
England Habitat
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damp or wet areas of rich deciduous or mixed woods | ||
| Specific Features | |||
| Root: | fibrous, shallow, stoloniferous | ||
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Leaves |
basal, long-stalked; heart- or maple-shaped, 2-4 inches long and wide, with 3-5 toothed lobes; creased along veins, which are sometimes suffused with burgundy; both surfaces lightly hairy; often turn burgundy in winter and wither away as new growth emerges in spring | ||
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Flowers
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white, star-shaped, 1/4 inch wide, with 5 lance-shaped petals, in terminal racemes on downy, usually leafless stems; open from bottom up; 10 conspicuous yellow or orange stamens; 2 carpels, united into 1 superior ovary; bloom spring to early summer | ||
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Fruits
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ripen from bottom up; 1/4--inch capsules with boat-shaped lower portion and smaller convex flap above; seeds smooth, round, and black | ||
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Other
Species
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Tiarella cordifolia L. var. collina Wherry, Wherry’s foamflower: a clump-forming variety with a narrower range, found in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The common name comes from the plant’s discoverer, American botanist Edgar Wherry, b. 1885. | ||
©
2003, Christine Beckert & New England Wildflower Society
