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Jeffersonia diphylla

(L.) Pers.

Twinleaf

G5Secure Found in 10 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.160325
Element CodePDBER05010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRanunculales
FamilyBerberidaceae
GenusJeffersonia
Synonyms
Podophyllum diphyllumL.
Other Common Names
Jeffersonie à deux feuilles (FR) twinleaf (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2015-07-13
Change Date1984-02-28
Edition Date2000-01-03
Edition AuthorsJohn R. Boetsch (1/00); rev. Eric Nielsen (1/00)
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
This species is has a relatively broad range in eastern North America and is locally very abundant in central portions of its range. This species apparently tolerates low levels of habitat disturbance (Homoya pers. comm.).
Range Extent Comments
Eastern United States and southern Canada, from central and western New York (Young pers. comm.), Ontario (Kartesz 1999), Pennsylvania (Kunsman pers. comm.), and southern lower Michigan (Penskar pers. comm.) west to the northeast corner of Iowa (Pearson pers. comm.), Minnesota (USDA-NRCS 1999); south to northern Alabama (Schotz pers. comm.). In the east, confined to the ridge and valley province of the mid-Atlantic states (Frye pers. comm.).
Occurrences Comments
Estimated that several hundred populations are extant rangewide. Alabama: >10; Iowa: 6; Indiana: hundreds or thousands; Maryland: 2-3+; Michigan: 25; North Carolina: 1; New York: 13; Tennessee: 34+ (Brumback and Mehrhoff 1996, APSU 1999).

Since this is such a common species throughout much of its range, these numbers can only be estimates. Additional information on species distribution and the number of populations can be gleaned from county occurrence dot maps (USDA-NRCS 1999). The largest populations and most regular occurrence in suitable habitat is toward the centroid of the distribution of this species, such as in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky (Schotz pers. comm., Homoya pers. comm.).
Threat Impact Comments
No apecific evidence has been found to suggest that this species is currently being sought for the medicinal plant trade. It may experience very low-level collection as an ornamental.

A person knowledgable about the herbal medicinal trade has never seen the plant in trade, but speculates that it probably receives some local use (M. McGuffin pers. comm.).

As with all native forest herbs, habitat conversion and urban/rural development are significant direct threats (Young pers. comm., Penskar pers. comm., Homoya pers. comm., Pittman pers. comm., Kunsman pers. comm., Pearson pers. comm., Frye pers. comm., Schotz pers. comm.). Equally significant threats include habitat fragmentation and displacement by exotic species (Homoya pers. comm., Penskar pers. comm., Frye pers. comm., Enser pers. comm.). Locally, limestone quarrying is one of the development pressures on this species given its affinity for limestone substrate (Kunsman pers. comm.). This species may be relatively protected in portions of its range by its occurrence in steep, less-developable sites (Homoya pers. comm.). However, the Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project (2002) reports that this species occurs in highly productive sites for timber, putting at risk from forest management practices.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Twinleaf is an early spring wildflower that flowers before the forest trees have leafed-out. When it flowers, the stems are about 8 inches high with small two-lobed leaves that look like butterfly wings. Later in the season the expanded leaves grow taller, up to 20 inches, and obscure the stems. The showy white flowers are solitary at the top of each stem, have eight separate petals and are about 1/2" to 1 inch wide with yellow stamens in the middle. An individual plant may hold its flower for a few days. The fruit is walnut-shaped, smooth and shiny green, and often sticks out above the leaves. When the fruit is mature it splits around the top and opens like a lid, releasing the seeds.

Habitat

This species is found in rich, mesic mixed hardwood forests with a clear affinity for limestone (Kunsman pers. comm., Young pers. comm., Homoya pers. comm.), or rarely in association with glacial till or moraine features toward the north end of its distribution (Penskar pers. comm., Homoya pers. comm.). It is typically encountered near streams, in floodplains or on steep, moist, rocky slopes, where it is locally abundant (Young pers. comm., Pearson pers. comm., Kunsman pers. comm., Penskar pers. comm., Pittillo pers. comm.). Associate species include: Fagus, Celtis, Quercus muehlenbergii, Acer saccharum, Ulmus rubra, Hybanthus concolor, Delphinium tricorne, Cercis canadensis, Ulmus spp., Hydrastis canadensis, and Sanguinaria canadensis (Schotz pers. comm., Kunsman pers. comm., Penskar pers. comm.).
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS1Yes
IowaS1Yes
WisconsinS3Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
MinnesotaS3Yes
IndianaSNRYes
GeorgiaS1Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
MichiganS3Yes
OhioSNRYes
AlabamaS2Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
New YorkS2Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
MarylandS5Yes
New JerseyS1Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (10)
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Virginia (8)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
Mt. PleasantGeorge Washington National Forest8,933
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oliver MountainGeorge Washington National Forest13,090
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
References (22)
  1. Amoroso, Jame. Personal communication. Botanist. North Carolina Heritage Program, NC Dept. of Environment, Health, & Natural Resources, Division of Parks And Recreation, Raleigh, NC.
  2. APSU Center for Field Biology and University of Tennessee Herbarium. 1999. October 6-last update. Atlas of Tennessee Vascular Plants. Online. Available: http://www.bio.utk.edu/botany/herbarium/vascular/atlas.html. Accessed 2000-Jan.
  3. Brumback, W.E., and L.J. Mehrhoff. 1996. Flora Conservanda: New England. The New England Plant Conservation Program list of plants in need of conservation. Rhodora 98 (895): 235-361.
  4. Dodds, J. 2022. Jeffersonia diphylla Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites, State Forest Fire Service & Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 16 pp. [https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/jeffersonia-diphylla-twinleaf.pdf]
  5. Enser, Rick. RI Heritage Program Botanist.
  6. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
  7. Frye, Chris. Maryland Heritage Program Botanist.
  8. Gleason, H.A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp.
  9. Homoya, Mike. Personal communication. Botanist/Plant Ecologist. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Nature Preserves. Indianapolis, IN.
  10. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  11. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  12. Kunsman, J. Botanist, Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory-East.
  13. McGuffin, Michael. Personal communication. American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring MD
  14. Pearson, John. Iowa Heritage Program Botanist.
  15. Penskar, Mike. Personal communication. Botanist, Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Lansing, MI.
  16. Pittillo, J. Dan. Professor, Western Carolina University.
  17. Pittman, Bert. SC Heritage Program Botanist.
  18. Schotz, Al. Personal Communication. Botanist, Alabama Natural Heritage Program.
  19. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  20. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 1999. November 3-last update. The PLANTS database. Online. Available: http://plants.usda.gov/plants. Accessed 2000-Jan.
  21. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.
  22. Young, Steve. Personal communication. Botanist, New York Natural Heritage Program.