Minnesota Wildflowers


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Jeffersonia diphylla (Twinleaf)

Plant Info
Also known as:
Genus:Jeffersonia
Family:Berberidaceae (Barberry)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Status:
  • State Special Concern
Habitat:part shade; rich woods
Bloom season:April - May
Plant height:4 to 18 inches
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map

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Detailed Information

Flower: 7+petals

[photo of flower] A single 1-inch flower at the end of a slender naked stem. Flowers have 8 white petals and 8 erect yellow stames around the green ovary in the center. A plant may have multiple flowering stems.

Leaves and stem: basal lobed

[photo of leaves] Leaves are basal on slender stems, they are deeply cleft at the tip and base, appearing to be a pair of leaves mirroring each other. Each half is typically somewhat oval with a pointed tip, but may be lobed or coarsely toothed or wavy around the edges. A few scale-like leaves surround the base of the plant. During the bloom season, leaves may only be about an inch long, on stems shorter than the flowers. As fruit develops both flowering and leaf stems elongate and leaves can enlarge up to 4 inches long.

Notes:

Twinleaf flowers look very similar to Bloodroot, but the leaves are distinctly different.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk, taken at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis and in a private garden in Dakota County

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Petyer
on: 2010-04-24 10:32:02

While a species of Special Concern in Minnesota - we are in the extreme NW edge of its range, it's far more common in Wisconsin - this species is increasingly available at retail garden centers such as Linders (limited quantities & expensive) does well in rich soil shade gardens - very fleeting but wonderful in the spring.

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