jeffersonia_diphylla

Jeffersonia diphylla

Jeffersonia diphylla is a beautiful woodland plant from eastern North America. It is notorious for having beautiful flowers which bloom for a very brief time before the petals drop. Sometimes the flowers only last for a single day. The common name, Twinleaf, derives from the shape of the leaf; the two "wings" being connected by a narrow section, giving the plant a very distinctive aspect. The seed pod is also distinctive, cone-shaped with a flap which opens when the seeds are ripe and spills the contents.

It will grow 20-30 cm., (8-12 in.) in height. The plant develops a tough, fibrous root system. Although the flowers are ephemeral, the plant and its seedpod are attractive from spring to fall.

(There are two species in the genus Jeffersonia, the other is Jeffersonia dubia of eastern Asia.)

Jeffersonia diphylla, photo by Mike Slater

Foliage details, photo by Bill Plummer