Tiarella polyphylla is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a short, slender rhizome.

Each flower is small and whitish, with ovate sepals 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long but with no petals.

For a long time it was thought that the two North American species (Tiarella cordifolia and Tiarella trifoliata) were more closely related to each other than to T. polyphylla,[5] but phylogenetic analysis suggests that the latter is more closely related to T. cordifolia than it is to T. trifoliata.

[4] As of October 2022[update], the treatment of Tiarella polyphylla D.Don in FoC is widely recognized.

[2][6][7][8][9] Tiarella polyphylla is an Asian species, ranging from the eastern Himalayas to China, east Asia, and southeast Asia:[2][4] In China, it is found in moist forests and shady wet places at altitudes from 1,000 to 3,800 meters (3,300 to 12,500 ft).