Also known as the laceflower or sugar-scoop,[8] the species is found in shaded, moist woods in western North America.

laciniata) also has trifoliate leaves with petioles, but unlike the typical variety, it has deep lobes more than half the length of the leaflet.

[10] In 1832, William Hooker described two additional species of Tiarella in western North America (T. laciniata and T. unifoliata),[11][12] including two hand-drawn illustrations in his description.

[13][14] John Torrey and Asa Gray recognized all three species (T. trifoliata, T. laciniata, T. unifoliata) in their treatment of genus Tiarella in 1840.

[15] In 1905, Per Axel Rydberg described T. californica based on an earlier description of a species thought to belong to genus Heuchera.

[16] All four species (T. trifoliata, T. laciniata, T. unifoliata, T. californica) were included in a taxonomy proposed by Olga Lakela in 1937.

[20] As of October 2022[update], the varieties (not the species) are widely recognized:[6][21][22][1][23][24][25] Likewise Tiarella californica (Kellogg) Rydb.

In western North America, Tiarella trifoliata prefers shaded, moist, sometimes dense woods up to 1,900 m (6,234 ft).