Mitella pentandra
Encyclopedia
Mitella pentandra is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family
known by the common name fivestamen miterwort. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska
to California
to Colorado
, where it grows in moist, shady habitat such as meadows, woods, and mountain forests. It is a rhizomatous
perennial herb growing up to about 50 or 60 centimeters tall. Most all of the leaves occur around the base of the stem. They have oval blades several centimeters wide with edges divided into toothed lobes. The erect inflorescence
bears several flowers, sometimes up to 25, usually along one side of the stem. The distinctive flower is saucer-shaped with five green petals which are divided into narrow, whiskerlike lobes.
Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae is a plant family with about 460 known species in 36 genera. In Europe there are 12 genera.The flowers are hermaphroditic and actinomorphic...
known by the common name fivestamen miterwort. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where it grows in moist, shady habitat such as meadows, woods, and mountain forests. It is a rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb growing up to about 50 or 60 centimeters tall. Most all of the leaves occur around the base of the stem. They have oval blades several centimeters wide with edges divided into toothed lobes. The erect inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears several flowers, sometimes up to 25, usually along one side of the stem. The distinctive flower is saucer-shaped with five green petals which are divided into narrow, whiskerlike lobes.