Fringecup

Tellima grandiflora – Fringecup

At a Glance:

cupped leaves and tall stems of fringecup

Family: Saxifragaceae
Plant Type: Mostly basal (sometimes spreading) herb with tall flowering stalks
Distribution: Mostly Pacific Coast, California to Alaska, as far east as Montana
Habitat: moist woods and edges of wetlands
Height:
Flower: flowers range from a pale green/yellow color to pale and hot pinks. They are bell shaped and bend backward with long whispy/lacey petals that look like fine hairs or fringe (how it got its common named). There is a lot of variety in the flowers, so always stop and look!
Flowering Season: April – July
Leaves: slightly lobed, round, dark green leaves with hairs and long stalks (petioles)
Generation: Perennial
Fun fact: Genus name Tellima comes from an anagram of Mitella, another genus that is very closely related.

Restoration and Conservation

Fringecup can create thick patches of ground cover, establishing well in disturbed and shady areas (especially along trails), outcompeting invasive weeds. They are easy to divide and propagate, and are fairly easy to grow from seed with a high transplant rate. Once established, they are also slug resistant and evergreen during mild winters.

Ethnobotany

The Skagit tribe use the whole plant to treat many ailments, including appetite loss. It was pounded, boiled, or drank as tea.

References and Resources

This article was written by Sarah Verlinde. For questions regarding the UWB/CC Plant Tour, contact Sarah at severlin@uw.edu.