Lewisia cotyledon

Lewisia cotyledon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Portulacaceae
Genus: Lewisia
Species: L. cotyledon
Binomial name
Lewisia cotyledon
(S.Wats.) B.L.Rob.

Lewisia cotyledon is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family known by the common names Siskiyou lewisia and cliff maids. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California, where it grows in rocky subalpine mountain habitat.

Description

It is an evergreen perennial growing from a thick taproot and caudex unit. It produces a basal rosette of many thick, fleshy oval- or spoon-shaped leaves up to 9 cm (4 in) long.

The Latin cotyledon ("small cup") refers to the shape of the leaves.[1]

Flowering from spring to summer,[2] the inflorescence arises on one or more stems 10–30 cm (4–12 in) tall, each stem bearing an array of up to 50 flowers.

Near the flowers are small, pointed bracts tipped with resin glands. The flower has 7 to 13 petals, each about 1.5 centimeters long. The petals may be pale pink with darker veining, whitish with pinkish orange striping, or solid orange to yellow.

Award

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3]

References

  1. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
  2. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  3. "RHS Plant Selector Lewisia cotyledon AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-02-03.


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