[Bishop's Caps and Mitreworts of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Three-tooth Mitrewort, Three-toothed Mitrewort, Three-parted Mitrewort

Mitella trifida

Synonyms: Mitella trifida var. trifida, Mitella trifida var. violacea, Mitella violacea

Three-tooth mitrewort as seen along the Line Butte Trail #807 on the south side of Lookout Mt., Ochoco National Forest........June 22, 2017. Note the numerous glandular hairs on the stem and pedicels as well as the three-lobed petals that alternate with the stamens.

Characteristics:

Three-toothed mitrewort is a small forest perennial with several stems arising from several basal leaves. The stems range from 15-35 cm in height and are usually leafless, although a much reduced leaf may occasionally be found near the base, and several small bracts above that. The herbage is often somewhat glandular-hairy. The leaf blades are heart-shaped to ovate heart-shaped with 5-7 indistinct lobes. The blade is 2-6 cm wide and the petioles are usually longer than the blades.

The inflorescence is a raceme of 10-20 closely spaced flowers. The flowers may tend to crowd to one side of the stem, but not as much as is seen in Mitella stauropetala. The bell-shaped calyx is 1.5-3.5 mm long with oblong to ovate lobes which are white or purplish. The white to purplish-tinged petals are 1.5-2.5 mm long, oblanceolate in shape, and either entire or more commonly with 3 lobes or teeth at the tip. The 5 stamens are shorter than and opposite to the calyx lobes.

Habitat:

Three-tooth mitrewort may be found growing in moist open forests.

Range:

Three-tooth mitrewort may be found from British Columbia south through the Cascade and Olympic Mts. to northern California, and east through eastern Washington to Alberta, and hence south in the Rockies to southern Montana. It may also be found in in Grant County and in the Wallowa and Blue Mts..

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Three-toothed mitrewort as seen along Forest Service Road #2630 several hundred meters uphill to the east of Pisgah Springs, Ochoco National Forest.........June 13, 2015. This site is just south of the southern boundary of the Bridge Creek Wilderness.

Several of the basal leaves of three-toothed mitrewort as seen left on Wedge Mt., Wenatchee National Forest.......June 8, 2009. The basal leaves of racemose pussytoes (Antennaria racemosa) can be seen at center top, while those of bigleaf sandwort (Moehringia macrophylla) can be seen at lower right. The photo at right shows the basal leaves of three-toothed mitrewort as seen along the forested section of the Steins Pillar Trail #837, Ochoco National Forest.......May 21, 2017.

The upper portion of the raceme of three-toothed mitrewort as seen on Wedge Mt., Wenatchee National Forest........June 8, 2009. Note the numerous glandular hairs on the stem and pedicels as well as the three-lobed petals that alternate with the stamens.

Paul Slichter