Daphne
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Daphne
- From: N* T*
- Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 07:41:55 CST6CDT
- Content-Length: 1284
- Priority: normal
On the Daphne thread, one Daphne that should have a more than 50%
chance of success in California (maybe even southern California ;-) is D.
sericea, sometimes known under the synonym D. collina. It comes from the
Mediterranean basin, where it grows on rocky limestone or more acidic hills
and mountains at moderate elevations (say 500-1500 m/1600-5000 ft). It
forms low, mounded, evergreen bushes (to 1 m /3-4 ft across) and covers
itself in spring with rich pink flowers that fade to a yellowish parchment
color, so you have a most attractive multicolor effect. It is also very sweetly
scented. The young leaves are slightly silvery hairy, which is a bonus. There
used to be (maybe still is?) a large plant by the alpine house at Kew Gardens
in the U.K., so it might survive in the Pacific Northwest or similar climates
elsewhere too.
On the fragrant plants thread: many of the wild Mediterranean species of
peony have a delicious scent, e.g., Paeonia clusii, the white-flowered one
from Crete.
Nick
Nick Turland
Flora of China Project, Missouri Botanical Garden,
P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, U.S.A.
E-mail: Nicholas.Turland@mobot.org
Phone: +1 314 577 0269 Fax: +1 314 577 9438
MBG web: http://www.mobot.org
FOC web: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
