Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Makin, Julie

Tiarella cordifolia var. collina

Tiarella cordifolia L. var. collina Wherry

Heartleaf Foamflower, Wherry's Foamflower

Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage Family)

Synonym(s): Tiarella wherryi

USDA Symbol: TICOC

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

This lovely, low-growing plant of Eastern forests, formerly known as Tiarella wherryi and still often sold in nurseries as Wherry's Foamflower, has lovely purple-and-green leaves that turn a burgundy in the fall. Its fuzzy leaves and spring stalks of ethereal white flowers make it a welcome addition to the eastern woodland garden or shady flowerbed. It is well behaved and won't colonize but can be massed in drifts to provide herb-layer cover in the shade. Though normally deciduous, it can be evergreen if protected from north winds through the winter.

From the Image Gallery

11 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Pubescence: Puberulent
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Foliage to 6 inches. Bloom stalks to 20 inches.
Leaf: Green with purple accents. Burgundy in winter.
Autumn Foliage: yes
Flower: Flowers in 1 to 6 inch flower spikes

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AL , MS , NC , SC
Native Distribution: Eastern North America, Zones 5 to 7
Native Habitat: Rich, mesic woodlands

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Rich, moist, acidic, woodland soils and moist granite outcrops
Conditions Comments: Does not tolerate flooding.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: A fine, deciduous, herb-layer plant for the Southeastern woodland or shady flower garden.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Longwood Gardens - Kennett Square, PA
Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE

Bibliography

Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Tiarella cordifolia var. collina in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Tiarella cordifolia var. collina in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Tiarella cordifolia var. collina

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-05-17
Research By: DEW

Go back