Tiarella cordifolia

Tiarella cordifolia, the heartleaf foamflower,[1] heartleaved foamflower, Allegheny foamflower, false miterwort, or coolwort, is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family, native to North America. It is a herbaceous perennial which is valued in cultivation for its erect stems of foamy cream flowers in summer.

Heartleaf foamflower
Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, US
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Tiarella
Species:
T. cordifolia
Binomial name
Tiarella cordifolia
Subspecies

T. c. var. austrina
T. c. var. collina
T. c. var. cordifolia

Synonyms

Tiarella wherryi Lakela

Description

Tiarella cordifolia has a scaly horizontal rhizome and seasonal runners. The leaves are 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long, basal, long stalked, hairy, with 3-7 shallow lobes, and heart-shaped at the base. They are dark green usually mottled with brown, rough-hairy above and downy beneath. They have long flowering stems that can grow as tall as 30 cm (12 in). The flowers are white, small and feathery and form a long terminal cluster on a leafless stalk. The inflorescences are 15–30 cm (6–12 in) tall, with the flowers borne in close, erect racemes. The flowers have 5 petals (entire) and 10 stamens (long and slender), giving the flower cluster a fuzzy appearance. The two unequal seed capsules split along their inside seams, releasing several pitted seeds.

This tiarella spreads well by rhizomes, unlike other cultivated tiarellas, but lacks the invasive tendencies of many more-commonly employed groundcovers.

The flowers are visited by small bees, syrphus flies, and butterflies that may affect pollination.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[2][3]

Inflorescence

Origin of name

Tiarella meaning a little tiara, is a diminutive of the Greek word tiara meaning turban. The genus name refers to the unequal seedpods. The Latin specific epithet cordifolia means “heart-shaped leaves”.[4]


Cultivars

Uses

It is listed in herbology as a tonic and a diuretic. It has been used for kidney problems, liver problems, and congestion of the lungs.

References
  1. "Tiarella cordifolia". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  2. "RHS Plant Selector Tiarella cordifolia AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  3. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 102. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  4. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
  5. "Blog | Pennsylvania Horticultural Society".
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