Heartleaf foamflower AKA creeping foamflower (Tiarella stolonifera syn. cordifolia) is native to Ontario and found on leafy hummus in deciduous or mixed woods. The leaves resemble miterworts, making one of the folk names false miterwort. I spot foamflower on the roadsides often, and mitrewort more on rocks in streams and deeper in the woods. I will post this lookalike some year soon!
There’s not much to say about edibility and medicinal uses of this one, but it’s a wonderful shade tolerant perennial groundcover for native plant landscaping and is common in our area around Haliburton, Ontario; so, I don’t want to put off its spotlight any longer!
Medicinal Uses of Heartleaf Foamflower
Foamflower is primarily said to support these body systems:
- Digestive
- Urinary
Medicinal tags include Diuretic. See Medicinal tag key for more information.
Common usage includes the whole herb used for acidic indigestion. It has the folk name coolwort for this use, but it’s not commonly utilized these days.
Growing Tiarella Stolonifera syn. Cordifolia
Heartleaf foamflower is one of those plants someone needs to sit by and note which pollinators visit. Some folks have done this in the past for many plants and they are the pioneers of the study of plant and pollinator interactions. It does have pollen and nectar in early spring and is a source of seed feed for birds and small mammals later on. It’s deer and rabbit resistant.
Foamflower makes a gorgeous groundcover in shade and partial shade sites. And you can use it around the base of trees, and in average to moist but well-drained, hummus rich soil. You can add organic mulch like dead leaves to the soil to help hold moisture for plants like this (that can die in dry soil). Seeds can be sowed fresh on the surface of the soil in midsummer, keeping them moist. Cuttings are an option too. On that note, since I sometimes find conflicting information online, I’m happy to say I’ve got my hands on the new book The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region (affiliate link) that’ll be a good fact checker for our posts. I highly recommend grabbing a copy and sharing it with your nature loving friends! There’s one at our local Haliburton library if your book budget is spent for now!
Heartleaf foamflower goes well with all our spring ephemerals including trout lily and Virginia bluebells. Christmas fern and other ferns look great around it too! It’s semi-evergreen, so like Christmas fern it’ll look flashy into winter until the snow envelopes the patch. (The snow lasts feet deep for months in Haliburton!) Heartleaf can sometimes have reddish streaks in the leaves, and the fall colour is a deep purplish.
WARNINGS
And the Usual Cautions:
1) Most medicinal herbs, if edible, are meant to be eaten in moderation, even sparingly. Some require extra preparation. Tannins are toxic if consumed in excess. Before taking any new supplements, you should consult with a healthcare professional.
2) A vast amount of these herbs are diuretic. (See the Medicinal tags above to check if this featured herb is one of them!) Diuretics are generally safe, but they can be risky for people with other medical conditions or who take certain medications. Please consult your doctor if you have any health conditions.
3) People can be allergic or sensitive to nearly any plant; try new herbs one at a time at your own risk. For instance, saponins commonly cause stomach upset.
4) For serious medicinal use, I must recommend receiving a diagnosis and working with a reputed health care provider. I generally do not post specific treatments and dosages because I think that is best between you and your health care provider, and ideally monitored.
5) Anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding new food items to their diet.
6) Many plants have look-a-likes, and sometimes they are poisonous.
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REFERENCES
My new favourite foraging book is Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America and this plant IS NOT featured in his book. Which to the least means it isn’t a popular edible. I highly recommend this thorough guide for your bookshelves!
https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/1760
The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region
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