North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Tiarella cordifolia

Tiarella cordifolia L.

foamflower, heartleaf foamflower

Cultivar(s): Running Tapestry

Image ID: 13101
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: TICO
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tiarella cordifolia
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-03-25

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id	Cultivar_name	Action
22	Running Tapestry	View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: TIARE
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Tiarella
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Foamflower
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 3-6 species, perennial herbs, of temperate North America and e. Asia.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Jog in FNA (2009); Lakela (1937)=Y; Spongberg (1972)=Z; Wherry (1940, 1949)=X; Fernald (1943)=V; Soltis in Kubitzki, Bayer, & Stevens (2007).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: SAXIFR
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Saxifragaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Saxifrage Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: If narrowly circumscribed (as here), a family of about 35 genera and 500-650 species, herbs (mianly perennial), nearly cosmopolitan, but especially diverse in warm temperate and cold temperate regions of North America and Eurasia. The circumscription of a much narrower Saxifragacaeae is clearly warranted, based on a wide variety of data, and strongly corroborated by molecular data (Morgan & Soltis 1993 and many later references).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Wells & Elvander in FNA (2009); Spongberg (1972); Morgan & Soltis (1993); Soltis in Kubitzki, Bayer, & Stevens (2007). [also see GROSSULARIACEAE, HYDRANGEACEAE, ITEACEAE, PARNASSIACEAE, and PENTHORACEAE]

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Rosette-forming, colonial perennial of moist forests, cove forests, rock outcrops and well-drained bottomland forests.
STEMS: Flowering stems unbranched, hairy.
LEAVES: Leaves basal, long-petiolate, broadly oval to nearly round, to 5 in. long, 3-7 lobed, palmately veined and sometimes mottled pale green or brown, toothed, hairy above; leaves evergreen in areas with mild winters.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a crowded, glandular-hairy, terminal raceme that elongates and loosens with age, opening from bottom upward; white to pinkish-white (buds pink); about 1/3 in. wide; consisting of 5 spreading, pointed petals with basal claws, 10 long stamens and a conical ovary.
FRUITS: Fruit a conical capsule.
COMMENTS: Spreads by runners to form small colonies. Native Americans once made a tea out of foamflower leaves to use as a diuretic and to treat sore eyes.
HEIGHT: 10-12 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Apr-Jun

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x		x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Moist forests, Outcrops and glades
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: This perennial grows in rich wooded areas of the mountains and piedmont, spreading by runners to form small colonies. Its leaves are similar to those of the red maple and have hairs on the upper surface. Foamflower blooms April through June, producing a six-inch stalk topped by delicate white flowers. Because the stamens protrude beyond the petals, the flower resembles a crown or â€œlittle tiaraâ€, as the Greek word tiarella describes.

Bloom Table Text: This perennial grows in rich wooded areas of the mountains and piedmont, spreading by runners to form small colonies. Its leaves are similar to those of the red maple and have hairs on the upper surface. Foamflower blooms April through June, producing a six-inch stalk topped by delicate white flowers. Because the stamens protrude beyond the petals, the flower resembles a crown or â€œlittle tiaraâ€, as the Greek word tiarella describes. Native Americans once made a tea out of foamflower leaves to use as a diuretic and to treat sore eyes. The high tannin content of this plant may account for its medicinal properties.

NCBG Location: Education Center Landscape, Plant Families Garden

Cultural Notes: Native Americans once made a tea out of foamflower leaves to use as a diuretic and to treat sore eyes. The high tannin content of this plant may account for its medicinal properties.

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 4
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
151	HORT	2010-05-07	Poythress	View
1371	HORT	2006-05-04	Bryan	View
1965	HORT	2017-04-21	Summer	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
150	2010-0068	2010-12-08	151	View
1428	1986-1208			View
2138	1986-1944			View
2356	1986-2193			View
2664	1987-0119			View
3412	1991-0043			View
4284	1992-0440			View
5000	1995-0119			View
5206	1995-0325			View
5845	1995-0973			View
6345	1995-1477			View
6503	1996-0128			View
6504	1996-0129			View
6784	1996-0449	2006-12-06		View
7063	1999-0006	1999-05-17		View
9223	2006-0523	2020-05-07	1371	View
9252	2019-0011	2019-06-26	1965	View
9574	2023-0027	2023-03-02		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
294	150	34	NCBG staff	2010-12-10	View
295	150	35	NCBG staff	2010-12-10	View
296	150	24	NCBG staff	2011-03-09	View
297	150	25	NCBG staff	2011-03-09	View
299	150	32	NCBG staff	2011-03-29	View
300	150	31	NCBG staff	2011-03-29	View
303	150	15	NCBG staff	2011-11-02	View
2502	1428	81	NCBG staff	2006-10-12	View
3648	2138	74	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
3649	2138	189	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
3650	2138	11	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3651	2138	73	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3652	2138	75	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3653	2138	76	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3654	2138	77	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3655	2138	78	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3656	2138	79	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3657	2138	80	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3658	2138	187	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3659	2138	72	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
3660	2138	188	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
3661	2138	8	NCBG staff	1978-10-01	View
4046	2356	94	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4462	2664	139	NCBG staff	2001-01-01	View
4463	2664	67	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
5652	3412	1	NCBG staff	1990-09-13	View
5653	3412	11	NCBG staff	1990-09-13	View
6612	4284	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7419	5000	202	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7659	5206	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8360	5845	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
9000	6345	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9195	6503	9	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9196	6504	9	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9593	6784	142	Liloia	1996-01-01	View
9955	7063	114	NCBG staff	2001-01-01	View
9956	7063	77	NCBG staff	1999-05-18	View
12320	9223	66	Liloia	2009-03-09	View
12321	9223	60	Liloia	2009-03-09	View
12375	9252	145	Liloia	2019-03-01	View
12376	9252	67	Liloia	2019-03-01	View
12690	0	16	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12868	9252	25	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12985	0	198	MacIntyre	0000-00-00	View
13481	9574	219	Briggs	2023-03-01	View
14043	9252	32	Wait	0000-00-00	View
14290	9574	81	Briggs	2024-06-07	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: TICO
USDA Common Name: Heartleaf Foamflower
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, CT, GA, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (NB, NS, ON, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC				FAC			FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tiarella cordifolia
COMMON NAME:
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, Pa, S, W; > T. cordifolia var. cordifolia - C, G, K, RAB; > T. cordifolia Linnaeus var. collina Wherry - C, G, K, RAB; > T. cordifolia - F, V, WV, Z; > T. wherryi Lakela - F, V, Z; > T. cordifolia var. austrina - K, X, Y; > T. macrophylla Small - S (type a combination of Heuchera and Tiarella); > T. wherryi - X, Y; > T. cordifolia var. typica - Y; > T. cordifolia var. collina - X]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-Jun.
HABITAT: Moist forests, cove forests, rock outcrops, well-drained bottomland forests.
COMMENTS: NS west to ON and WI, south to w. NC, nw. SC, sw. GA, AL, MS, and MO. Several taxa have been recognized (or not) in eastern North American Tiarella. The characters used to recognize additional species or varieties are often missing on herbarium sheets and also seem to be imperfectly correlated. T. wherryi (or var. collina) is alleged to differ from T. cordifolia s.s. in lacking stolons (vs. having stolons), capsules 6-10 mm long and round-tipped (vs. 8-12 mm long and subacuminate), and lower fruiting pedicels 6-10 mm long (vs. 7-13 mm long). Additional taxa have sometimes been recognized; see Lakela (1937), Wherry (1940, 1949), Fernald (1943), and Spongberg (1972) for discussion. Further study is needed; for now, I have opted (without great confidence) for a broad approach.
RANGE MAP: Tiarella cordifolia.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Saxifragaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Saxifrage Family)
SUMMARY: If narrowly circumscribed (as here), a family of about 35 genera and 500-650 species, herbs (mianly perennial), nearly cosmopolitan, but especially diverse in warm temperate and cold temperate regions of North America and Eurasia. The circumscription of a much narrower Saxifragacaeae is clearly warranted, based on a wide variety of data, and strongly corroborated by molecular data (Morgan & Soltis 1993 and many later references).
REFERENCE: Wells & Elvander in FNA (2009); Spongberg (1972); Morgan & Soltis (1993); Soltis in Kubitzki, Bayer, & Stevens (2007). [also see GROSSULARIACEAE, HYDRANGEACEAE, ITEACEAE, PARNASSIACEAE, and PENTHORACEAE]

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Tiarella L. (Foamflower)
SUMMARY: A genus of 3-6 species, perennial herbs, of temperate North America and e. Asia.
REFERENCE: Jog in FNA (2009); Lakela (1937)=Y; Spongberg (1972)=Z; Wherry (1940, 1949)=X; Fernald (1943)=V; Soltis in Kubitzki, Bayer, & Stevens (2007).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Tiarella cordifolia in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Tiarella cordifolia in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Tiarella cordifolia in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Tiarella cordifolia in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Tiarella cordifolia in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Tiarella cordifolia

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 13101 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 13101 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 8658 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 23228 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)