Jeffersonia diphylla (L.) Pers. Twinleaf
Twinleaf is native to eastern North America and eastern Asia. The genus Jeffersonia is named for Thomas Jefferson by his friend, William Bartram, also a botanist. Twinleaf is rare now, considered threatened or endangered in Georgia, Iowa, New York, and New Jersey. Identification: Twinleaf is so named because each leaf consists of two halves that are mirror images of each other, looking a bit like the wings of a green moth. These slow-growing perennials reach about 8" (20 cm) in size. Each leaf and flower occurs atop its own stem, and all the stems emerge from the base of the plant. Leaves are smooth-edged and two-lobed, and fairly unique in shape. Each flower is white, with 8 petals, 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) in diameter. Fruits, about 1¼" (3.2 cm) high and 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter, are thimble-shaped, with a cap that makes them resemble a bell pepper. Britton, Nathaniel Lord, and Brown, Addison, An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions, 1913. Courtesy of the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database. Online References:
Jeffersonia on Wikipedia Jeffersonia diphylla on Plants for a Future Jeffersonia diphylla at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Jeffersonia diphylla at the U.S. Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers site Jeffersonia diphylla on eFloras
Jeffersonia diphylla description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
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