RE: Musschia wollastonii

Title: RE: Musschia wollastonii

Yes, Musschia wollastonii is seriously cool. It makes a giant rosette of long, luxuriant, serrated leaves elevated on a stem up to 3 feet tall. The reddish or brownish flowers are in a huge, branching, pyramidal mass that eventually develops from the top of the rosette. After the plant has set seed (millions of them), it dies. It's a very architectural plant.

I saw it in a forest department demonstration planting in Madeira several years ago and collected a few seed capsules, which contained 1000s of seeds. I raised one plant that succumbed to frost, unfortunately. They are plants of basalt cliffs in the native laurel forest in Madeira, which has a remarkably similar climate to the SF Bay area -- lots of fog and cloud but occasional sunny days (or am I describing Seattle?) Anyway, definitely give it shade and protect it from frost, or at least keep a plant or two inside in the winter as a reserve. Those cultivated plants I saw in Madeira were in big pots, so you don't have to plant it out. It may not be too keen on an alkaline soil either.

The genus has another species, also endemic to Madeira: Musschia aurea. It is a smaller plant of sunnier, drier cliffs, with glossy leaves, bright yellow flowers, and a more perennial lifespan.

Nick


Nick Turland
St. Louis, Missouri
(USDA Zone 6)


-----Original Message-----
From: Annie Hayes [a*@sonic.net]
Sent: Saturday, 18 May, 2002 12:32 PM
To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Musschia wollastonii


 Dear Meditarreans, I have some small plants of Musschia wollastonii (native to Madeira) . Internet images of it look fun and cool. I am in Richmond, California  (across the Bay from San Francisco) Sunset zone 17. Cool Summers and very little frost. Has anyone  ever grown this plant? Anyone know its requirements? Sun or shade?

   Also, wanted to let you know that my Lobostemon fruticosus ( South African shrub)-I asked about last year- thrived and flowered this Spring. Beautiful! Just regular planting soil and sun. Low water was fine. An excellent  garden plant for the

 SF Bay Area. ( Mine was about 30" tall , nice mounded form ,  1 1/2"elliptic blue-green leaves and ethereal sky- blue flowers with pink throats) Thanks for your help!

       Annie

Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index