Miterwort, Mitella diphylla L., Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Bishop's Cap, two-leaf Miterwort

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Twoleaf Miterwort	Mitella diphylla L.	Saxifrage	Woodland	Spring to Early Summer
Other names and notes	(Bishop's Cap). A fairly short plant, usually 6" to 16" high with a single pair of almost stalkless leaves on the stem that have 3 to 5 lobes, and long stalked heart shaped at the base, basal leaves. The small white flowers are on a tall raceme. The five petals are fringed and are said to resemble a snowflake. When closed it is said to resemble a bishop's cap. In the Garden you may see these plants any time between mid-May and the end of June.

Above: Flower detail. Photo below by Phoebe Waugh.

These plants were in bloom on June 5, 2008 and May 16, 2009 on the bog path.

Above: The pair of stem leaves below the flower raceme. Below: The long-stalked heart shaped base basal leaf.

Notes: Eloise Butler noted introducing this plant on Sept. 4, 1909 from specimens she brought back to Minneapolis from Appleton Maine while on her summer visit to the East Coast and again on April 13, 1910 with plants obtained in Groveland Park. This plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time along with the Naked Miterwort (M. nuda) which is the species Eloise Butler listed as present in the Garden area on her list of May 25, 1907. M. nuda does not have stem leaves. M. diphylla is native to Minnesota in counties that are along the eastern border of the State, except the far NE. This is the westward extent of the plants range in the United States. M. nuda has more of a northern presence in the State and in most of Canada.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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