Mitella
| Mitella | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mitella caulescens | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Saxifragaceae |
| Genus: | Mitella L. |
| Species | |
|
~12, see text | |
Mitella is a genus of flowering plants known as miterworts or bishop's caps. Mitella species are native to temperate and arctic North America and Asia.
Description
Mitella includes perennials growing from a scaly rhizome, bearing wide heart- or spade-shaped leaves near their bases and flowers with five petals in a long raceme or spike.
Etymology
The genus name means "little mitre", from Latin mitra with the diminutive suffix -ella, since the flowers are said to resemble bishop's headdresses. In Classical Latin use, however, mitella means "female headdress" or "sling".[1] Latin mitra comes from Greek mítrā "girdle", "headband", or "turban".[2]
Species
Species include:
- Mitella breweri - Brewer's miterwort
- Mitella caulescens - slightstemmed miterwort
- Mitella diphylla - twoleaf miterwort
- Mitella diversifolia - angleleaf miterwort
- Mitella nuda - naked miterwort
- Mitella ovalis - coastal miterwort
- Mitella pentandra - fivestamen miterwort
- Mitella prostrata - creeping bishop's cap
- Mitella stauropetala - smallflower miterwort
- Mitella trifida - threepart miterwort
References
- ^ "mitella". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ μίτρα. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
External links
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