Epimedium × rubrum (Bishop’s caps)

This is a cultivar, introduced (apparently) for better winter tolerance. They are popular as ground covers in shaded areas of gardens, but they are not found in the wild. “Bishops’ caps” refers to the dainty flowers, which resemble a bishop’s mitre (though I don’t see much of a resemblance). The cultivar is a cross of E. alpinum × E. grandiflorum.

Plants: Bishop’s caps are 8–13″ (20–33 cm) in height, and about 1′ (30 cm) around.

Leaves: Rubrum comes from the red-tinted, heart-shaped leaves. Leaves are heart shaped, 1–1½″ (2.5–3.8 cm) long, with serrated edges.

Flowers: Copious, in loose racemes, each flower about ½″ (1.3 cm) around, with four bright pink sepals and pale yellow petals.

1/5/2026 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Ranunculales	Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots”
Family	Berberidaceae	Barberry family
Genus	Epimedium	The origin of this name is not known
Species	rubrum	From the Latin ruber or rubra meaning “red”

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Range: Zones 5-9:

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