Miterwort or Bishop's Cap,
Mitella diphylla
Saxifragaceae or Saxifrage Family
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Plant 6 to 16 inches tall. Leaves of two
kinds. Long-stalked basal leaves are roughly heart-shaped,
with three shallow lobes and irregular teeth. Midway up
the stem is a single pair of stalkless, triangular leaves with
similar shallow lobes, and irregular teeth. Flowers
bowl-shaped with 5 lacy-cut white petals that give the
appearance of a snowflake. Fruits shaped like bishops' miters, splitting open at maturity to release seeds.
Lovely native of rich, rocky woods. In Wildwood occasional on rock outcroppings on the east slope of the Park. Not likely to be seen from the trail without binoculars. Blooms in mid-spring. Unlikely to be confused with anything else. The single
pair of leaves midway up the stem is unusual, and the snowflake
flowers are very distinctive. Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) might be mistaken for it from a distance, but that plant has no leaves on the flowerstalk and many simple petals and sepals. |
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