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Berberidaceae
Twinleaf
Jeffersonia diphylla
fleeting perfection.
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Genus
- Jeffersonia
- Native to
- Eastern North America (Ontario to Alabama)
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 0.5-1.5 ft
- Sunlight
- shade to part shade
- Soil
- moist, rich, neutral to alkaline
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 4-7
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Twinleaf is named after Thomas Jefferson, given to him by botanist Benjamin Barton in 1792 in recognition of Jefferson's passion for botany and natural history.
- Each leaf is split almost completely in two halves, giving it a butterfly-like appearance unique among woodland wildflowers.
- The flowers last only a day or two before the petals drop — making it one of the most ephemeral of all spring ephemerals.
- Seeds are dispersed by ants carrying the elaiosome (fat body) attached to each seed — a relationship called myrmecochory shared with trilliums and bloodroot.
- A closely related species, Jeffersonia dubia, grows in Manchuria and Korea — one of the classic plant disjunctions showing the ancient land bridge between North America and Asia.
Color meanings
0
brief perfection
1
scholarly reflection
2
woodland wisdom