[Bishop's Caps and Mitreworts: The Genera Brewerimitella, Mitellastra, Ozomelis and Pectiantia West of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Brewer's Bishops Cap, Brewer's Mitrewort, Feathery Bishop's-cap, Feathery Mitrewort

Brewerimitella breweri

Synonyms: Mitella breweri, Pectiantia breweri

A close-up of the inflorescence of Brewer's mitrewort as seen in coniferous forest along trails into Bigelow Basin, Siskiyou National Forest........July 14, 2012. Note the stamens which are opposite the sepals.

Brewer's Bishops Cap, Brewer's Mitrewort, Feathery Bishop's-cap, Feathery Mitrewort: Brewerimitella breweri (Synonyms: Mitella breweri, Pectiantia breweri)

Photo at right of Brewer's mitrewort from near Jefferson Park, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Willamette N. F.......June 19, 1992.

Characteristics:

Feathery mitrewort is a perennial with erect, leafless stems from 15-30 cm high arising from a number of basal leaves. The stems are smooth-surfaced below and glandular hairy in the inflorescence. The leaves are shallowly 7-11 lobed, with each lobe having smaller teeth on the margins. The leaf blades are kidney- to heart-shaped, smooth-surfaced and 4-8 cm wide. The petioles are thin and about the same length or slightly longer than the blades.

The inflorescence is a raceme of 20-60 small greenish yellow flowers. . The calyx is a broad saucer 3-3.5 mm wide with 5 wide, triangular lobes The petals are linear with 5-9 pairs of thread like fringes on each. The petals are 1.5-2 mm long and yellow-green in color. The 5 stamens are about as long as and opposite to the calyx lobes. The ovary is almost completely inferior.

Habitat:

Feathery mitrewort may be found in moist open to shady woods.

Range:

Feathery mitrewort may be found from British Columbia south in the Cascades and Olympic Mts. to the Sierra Nevada of central California. It maybe found eastward to Alberta, northwestern Montana, and northern Idaho.

Brewer's mitrewort as seen in coniferous forest along trails into Bigelow Basin, Siskiyou National Forest........July 14, 2012. Note the numerous glands on the stem, pedicels and calyx.

Close-up images of the inflorescence and a flower of Brewer's mitrewort as seen in coniferous forest along the Hurricane Hill Trail in Olympic National Park........July 25, 2009.

Leaf of Brewer's mitrewort as seen in coniferous forest along the Hurricane Hill Trail in Olympic National Park.......July 25, 2009.

Paul Slichter