Foamflower

Description

Tiarella cordifolia, the heartleaf foamflower, 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. 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. Its habitats include deciduous woods and stream banks. 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. The Latin specific epithet cordifolia means “heart-shaped leaves”. In fact, "tiarella", in French, can be translated "crown" (tiare). The little fruit produces by the plant looks like a "tiare" a crown. Tiarella cordifolia 'FM Mooberry' is named after F. M. Mooberry of the Brandywine Conservancy. Tiarella, or foamflower, is a genus of wildflower and garden plants found in Asia and North America. They belong to the saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae).