Diphylleia

Diphylleia is a small genus of herbaceous perennials of the Berberidaceae (Barberry family) comprising just three species. They are distantly related to Achlys, Caulophyllum, Podophyllum and Ranzania. Diphylleia was described as a genus in 1803. Diphylleia is native to two areas, the eastern United States with one species and eastern Asia, where China and Japan each have one species.

They are ideal plants for humus-rich, lightly shaded conditions in the garden, where they make slowly expanding clumps from their slowly advancing rhizomes. The stems each bear two leaves, whence the name. Above the leaves is a tight, many-flowered cyme of white flowers which are succeeded by blue berries

The Japanese (and Russian) Diphylleia grayi, (which commemorates the American Botanist Asa Gray) has also recently become known as the ‘Skeleton Flower’ as its white petals turn transparent with rain. When dry, they revert to white.