Heart-leaved Foamflower

Tiarella cordifolia

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Colletes aestivalis (uncertain)
S17 listed with ? as possible host alongside Heuchera
❄️ Winter Food Source: Ruffed Grouse (Phasianidae) consumes foliage, constituting 8.75% of diet by weight or volume in one study. The semi-evergreen basal leaves persist into winter, providing forage when other herbaceous plants have senesced.
S57

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: Not listed under SARA. NatureServe global rank G5 (Secure). No subnational ranks available for ON or QC. VASCAN treats this taxon as excluded from ON and QC, though S63 and S62 confirm historical presence in the Ottawa-Hull region. The NatureServe concept ('Piedmont Foamflower') may represent a narrower taxonomic circumscription.
S22 S26 S1
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Characteristic of rich, mesic deciduous forests, particularly beech-maple and ash woods. Thrives in cool, moist woodland hollows and along stream banks on humus-rich soils. In the Gatineau region, found on Precambrian outcrops at the base of the Eardley escarpment and in mixed forests throughout Gatineau Park. Associates with Mitella diphylla, Uvularia, and Dentaria in similar habitats.
S7 S48 S6

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: One of the most attractive and prolific ground cover plants for shady woodland gardens. Spreads by stolons to fill gaps between taller woodland perennials. Plant 60 cm apart for ground cover establishment; needs weeding the first year. Effective as a living mulch layer in forest garden guilds, suppressing weeds while attracting pollinators.
S29 S4

Category: Diuretic, Hepatic, Lithontripic, Stomachic, Tonic, Dermatological Aid, Oral Aid, Eye Medicine, Pediatric Aid, Antidiarrheal
S29 S28
Notes: Extensively used by Cherokee, Iroquois, Malecite, and Micmac peoples. The whole plant is rich in tannin, likely the active medicinal constituent. Root and leaf infusions used to help children gain weight and treat diarrhea (Malecite, Micmac). Crushed root poultice applied to wounds (Iroquois). Leaf tea used as diuretic, mouthwash for sore mouths, and eyewash (Iroquois, Cherokee). Also used for bladder and liver complaints, indigestion, and as a general tonic.
S28 S29

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No edible uses documented. PFAF rates edibility 0 of 5 and lists no edible parts. Moerman records 15 ethnobotanical uses, all in Drug/Medicine categories with none in Food.
S29 S28