- Mitella
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Mitella Mitella caulescens Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Core 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.
Contents
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. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.
- ^ μίτρα. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at Perseus Project
External links
Categories:- Mitella
- Saxifragales stubs
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