Dig into Plants: Heartleaf Foamflower

Heartleaf Foam Flower Other Common Names: Heart-leaf Foamflower Scientific Name: Tiarella cordifolia Native to Alabama: Yes
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Albert F.W. Vick Click on image to enlarge it

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round in colder climates and keep my leaves year-round in mild climates, so I am semi-evergreen. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 2 - 4 feet high and 2 - 3 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it

Ecological Benefits

Maintenance Notes
Not dormant in the winter. In the winter, leaves are reddish bronze. Removal of flower spikes after bloom will improve the appearance of foliage mound. Can be massed to form an attractive ground cover in shaded rock gardens, or moist areas; no serious insect or disease problems. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires moist to wet soil at all times.
Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:
Shade (Less than 2 hours of sun per day)	Prefers moist to wet soil at all times	Well-drained, Acidic, or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

LEAF DESCRIPTION				Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Nature Center of Charleston Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Shape: Cordate	Margin: Serrate & Lobate	Arrangement: Basal Rosette	Form: Simple


Description:
Semi-glossy, 3-5 leaves rise directly from stolons (stems that grow at the soil surface or just below)


FLOWER DESCRIPTION			Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Stefan Bloodworth Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shape Chart (JPG)

Color: White	Shape: Stellate (star-shaped)	Bloom Months: Apr - Jul

Description:
Compact cluster of small flowers attached by short equal stalks at equal distances along a central stem (raceme); racemes are at ends of 6-12 inch stalks; flowers have long, slender stamens (male organ) giving the spikes of flowers a “foamy” appearance



SEED DESCRIPTION			Native Plant Trust Go Botany Bruce Patterson Click on image to enlarge it

Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: Small, lopsided capsule that splits open; to reveal small black seeds	Months in Seed: Spring

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots Spread by underground stems and form colonies

Plant Life Cycle
Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers. After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.	General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign:
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign:
Editable Word Doc

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
Native Plant Trust		North Carolina State Cooperative Extension Going Native
Missouri Botanical Garden

Alabama Outdoor Classroom Conservation Education Programs