Jeffersonia

Description

The-leaves-and-flowers-of this-plant-are smooth and emerge directly from the rhizome at base of the plant.-Jeffersonia-has showy white flowers with eight-petals; the flower resembles-Bloodroot. The short-lived flower appears in April or May, before the forest canopy appears (see-spring emphemeral). The fruit is a green pear-shaped capsule with a hinged top. The characteristic leaves are large and nearly divided in half, giving rise to its common name, twinleaf. Plants in this genus rarely grow taller than 12 inches (30-cm). As with many other-deciduous forest-plants, the seeds are dispersed by ants, a process known as-myrmecochory.