Mitella diphylla
| Two-leaved miterwort | |
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| Mitella diphylla in Hector, New York | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Saxifragaceae |
| Genus: | Mitella |
| Species: | M. diphylla
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| Binomial name | |
| Mitella diphylla | |
Mitella diphylla (twoleaf miterwort,[1] two-leaved mitrewort,[2] or bishop's cap)[3] is a clump forming, open woodland plant native to northeast and midwest regions of North America.[4]
Description[edit]
Miterwort grows from a rhizomatous root system with fibrous roots. Leaves are coarsely toothed with 3-5 shallow lobes.[5] Most leaves are basal, and there is one opposite pair of stemless leaves on each flower stalk.
Tiny flowers with finely divided, lacy white petals are produced in mid-spring in racemes on stems growing from 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 in) tall.
The seeds are tiny, 1.2–1.6 mm (0.05–0.06 in),[5] produced in small green cups, formed from the sepals of the flower, and when ripe are shiny and black.[6] They are spread when raindrops hit the cups and splash the seeds out.[3]
It grows in high quality mesic forests on moist, mossy ledges and north-facing slopes. The Latin specific epithet diphylla means two-leaved and is in reference to the non-basal leaves.[4]
Ecology[edit]
The flowers produce both pollen and nectar. Due to their small size, they are mainly visited by small bees and flies: for instance, Lasioglossum sweat bees, small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and hoverflies.[7]
Cultivation[edit]
This species is grown as an ornamental plant in shade gardens. It prefers wet-mesic to dry soil and partial shade.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Mitella diphylla". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ a b Hilty, John (2020). "Bishop's Cap (Mitella diphylla)". Illinois Wildflowers.
- ^ a b "Mitella diphylla - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b Soltis, Douglas E.; Freeman, Craig C. (2009). "Mitella diphylla". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 8. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 26 April 2016 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Mitella diphylla (Two-leaf Miterwort)". Minnesota Wildflowers.
- ^ a b Heather Holm (2014). Pollinators on Native Plants. Minnetonka, MN: Pollinator Press. pp. 110–111.
- Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
- Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
External links[edit]
- "Two-leaved Miterwort Mitella diphylla Linnaeus". Maryland Biodiversity Project. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
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