Two-leaved Mitrewort

Mitella diphylla

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Colletes aestivalis
S17 Fowler: Mitella listed as pollen host for Colletes aestivalis
❄️ Winter Food Source: Ruffed Grouse (Phasianidae) consumes seeds and plant parts, comprising approximately 1.1% of diet by weight or volume in one study.
S57 Ruffed Grouse, 1.1% fraction diet

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) with national rank N5 in both Canada and the United States. Secure in Ontario (S5) and apparently secure in Quebec (S4). Not listed under SARA or assessed by COSEWIC.
S22 G5, N5 CA/US; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: QC S4 – Apparently Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Characteristic herb of rich mesic deciduous forests, particularly beech-maple and sugar maple-basswood communities. Found in moist hollows, wooded slopes, shady ravines, and stream banks on soils with abundant organic matter. Associates include Trillium grandiflorum, Podophyllum peltatum, Claytonia virginica, and Erythronium spp. in the spring flora layer.
S7 rich deciduous forests, beech-maple; S10 upland woodlands, wooded slopes, rocky bluffs, shady ravines; S4 rich wet woods, stream banks

Roles: Fortress/Barrier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)]
Notes: Excellent ground cover for moist shaded woodland gardens. PFAF recommends spacing plants 45 cm apart to form a carpet. Thrives in dappled shade to full shade under deciduous canopy. Self-sows in rich soil and spreads moderately via rhizomes, providing reliable weed-suppressing coverage.
S29 good ground cover, 45 cm spacing, self-sows in rich soil; S10 dappled sunlight to shade preference

Category: Febrifuge, Ophthalmic, Emetic
S29 Febrifuge, Ophthalmic; S28 Iroquois Drug=Emetic, Eye Medicine
Notes: Iroquois used a decoction of whole plants as an emetic to counteract bad luck, and an infusion of the plant as eye drops for sore eyes. PFAF reports the infusion of leaves was used to treat fevers. Menominee considered the seeds sacred and used them in their medicine dance reinstatement ceremony.
S28 Iroquois emetic, eye medicine, Menominee sacred seed; S29 febrifuge, ophthalmic

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No edible uses documented. PFAF assigns an edibility rating of 0 out of 5, and Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany records no food uses for this species.
S29 edibility 0/5; S28 no Food category uses