Appearance
"Tiarella cordifolia" has a scaly horizontal rhizome and seasonal runners. The leaves are 5–10 cm 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. The flowers are white, small and feathery and form a long terminal cluster on a leafless stalk. The inflorescences are 15–30 cm tall, with the flowers borne in close, erect racemes. The flowers have 5 petals and 10 stamens, 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.
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.
Naming
"Tiarella" meaning a little tiara, is a diminutive of the Greek word "tiara" meaning turban. The genus name refers to the unequal seedpods. "Cordifolia", heart-shaped refers to the shape of the leaves.
Uses
It is listed in herbology as a tonic and a diuretic. It has been used for kidney problems, liver problems, and congestion of the lungs.References:
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