Toothwort, Two-leaved Toothwort, Crinkleroot, Cardamine diphylla (Michx.) [Dentaria diphylla], Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Two-leaved Toothwort	Cardamine diphylla (Michx.) Alph. Wood	Mustard (Brassicaceae)	Woodland	Spring
Other names and notes	(Crinkleroot, Toothwort). The stems with two leaf stalks appearing opposite each other (hence the common name of "two-leaved") with the 3-parted lobes not deeply cut like Cardamine concatenata - the cut-leaved toothwort. Stems are smooth and erect, Flowers white to pinkish, 4-part, small (usually less than 2/3"), and appearing as a tall loose cluster (a raceme). Each flower on a long stem. Total height of the plant usually 8 to 16". Located in many spots in the Woodland Garden. "Toothwort" refers to the rootstalk which has teeth-like segments. Botanists have recently placed this plant into the genus Cardamine and removed it from Dentaria. The species name diphylla is Greek, referring to "two-leaved".


Below: The twin opposite 3-lobe stem leaves from which the plant gets its common name of "Two-leaved"	Flowering time varies considerably with the spring weather. Above - from mid-May 2009; below from mid-April 2012

Notes: Eloise Butler noted planting in 1911 plants she obtained from Gillett's Nursery in Southwick, MA. More were planted on May1, 1912, again from Gillett's. This plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time and probably has been in the Garden continuously. It has reported distribution, including native status, to certain unspecified parts of Minnesota, but Minnesota is at the plants extreme western range in the US and the plant may be an introduction here. There is no reported distribution in Wisconsin in any counties near Minnesota, nor any distribution in Iowa. The prominent native variety of Toothwort is the Cut-leaved Toothwort, Cardamine concatenata.

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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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