Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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Tiarella trifoliata

Foamflower

At a Glance: Herb with erect or ascending stems and spikes of dainty white flowers.

Height: 2 feet (60 cm).
Growth Form: Herb.
Stems: Often reddish.
Leaves: Main leaves basal, long stalked, usually with 3 irregularly lobed and coarsely toothed leaflets, sparsely hairy, stem leaves (1 to few) reduced in size and with shorter stalks; size: 8 cm; color: bright green.
Flowers: Tiny and delicate white flowers at the end of short wire-like stalks, several to many in elongate clusters, 5 petals and 10 stamens; size: 2 mm; shape: stars, narrowly tube shaped.
Flowering Period: May, June, July, August.
Fruits: resemble sugar scoops once the upper and lower halves split apart; few smooth, shiny, black seeds; shape: capsule (sugar scoop); color: black.


Photo © Ben Legler

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status:	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Medicinal Uses: The Quileute chew the leaves as a cough medicine.
Landscape Uses: Pretty when planted in masses.
Name Info: Tiarella is the diminutive of tiara, a turban worn by ancient Persians, which the fruit resembles.

Suggested References

Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 203.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 31.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 1011.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 199.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 193.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1996. 2nd ed. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 216.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 1.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 168.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 1.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.