Specimen record
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Description
A low-growing woodland perennial that produces airy spikes of small white flowers above a rosette of fuzzy, maple-shaped leaves. When blooming in large colonies, the flower spikes give the forest floor a foamy appearance, hence the common name. Foamflower spreads by stolons to form extensive mats in shaded, humus-rich soils.
Identification tips
- 1Slender raceme of tiny white flowers with projecting stamens giving a fuzzy look
- 2Heart-shaped to maple-shaped basal leaves with 3–5 pointed lobes
- 3Leaves softly hairy on both surfaces
- 4Spreads by above-ground stolons (runners) forming dense mats
- 5Flower stalks 15–30 cm tall, rising well above the leaf rosette
Specimen & preservation notes
Collect a flowering stem with attached basal leaves and, if possible, a stolon showing vegetative spread. Press flowers quickly — they turn brown within hours of wilting. The delicate white flowers dry well if pressed within 30 minutes of collection.
Habitats
Collection calendar
| Wk | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
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Collection notes
Season check
Observed bloom also extends into April.
Flowering records: 4 iNaturalist observations, Massachusetts · Nearby: 7 observations within 25 km