Two-leaf Miterwort (Mitella diphylla): white Minnesota wildflowers

Two-leaf Miterwort

Plant Info
Also known as:	Bishop's Cap
Scientific name:	Mitella diphylla
Family:	Saxifrage (Saxifragaceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	part sun, shade; rich woods
Bloom season:	spring
Plant height:	10 to 18 inches
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map

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Flower:: Flowers are widely spaced in a spike-like raceme up to 12 inches long. Individual flowers are about 1/8 inch across and have 5 white feathery or fringed petals that curve back. In the center is a ring of 10 yellow-tipped stamen. A plant has a single spike of flowers.
Leaves and stem:: A single pair of opposite leaves is on the stem below the flower spike, and is where the “two-leaf” common name originates. These leaves are up to 2½ inches long and 1½ inches wide, coarsely toothed and usually shallowly lobed in 3 parts. It may appear that the leaves are joined around the stem, but they are not.
There are also basal leaves that are more heart-shaped, up to 4 inches long and 3 inches wide, on long stems, often with 5 shallow lobes. All leaves are finely hairy. The main stem is also covered in short hairs.