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A very pretty species from California and Oregon where it grows on acidic soils. The yellow flowers make it the most distinctive of the genus,
but it is commonly misidentified in cultivation. I have not managed to establish it in the garden, it seems to prosper for about a year and then vanishes. Xera Plants say: "This yellow flowered species tolerates extreme dry shade and colonizes even compacted dry soils to create a handsome ground cover. The delicate looking interestingly shaped leaves create a soft mound of shapes in cool green and edged slightly in red. In April-June 20″ wiry spikes suspend small downward pointing flowers- they appear to float above the foliage reminding me of a group of fireflies." The Davis Landscape Architects pages say: "Vancouveria chrysantha is an evergreen herbaceous perennial with a clump forming habit. Its mid green leaves 3 to 5 foliate. Its leaflets are cordate, slightly three lobed with red entire margins. Its yellow flowers appear as racemes terminally on erect stems and are up to 1cm long. Its elliptic fruit is a two valved capsule. Its roots have rhizomes which aids its slow spread. Vancouveria chrysantha, commonly known as Golden Inside-Out Flower, is native to west USA. In its native habitat it grows dry mountain scrub and forests.br The etymological root of the binomial name Vancouveria is named after Captain George Vancouver (1757 – 1798)." |
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| 20th May 2008 | ||
