Lewisia cotyledon


Lewisia cotyledon is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae 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 long.
The Latin cotyledon refers to the shape of the leaves.
Flowering from spring to summer, the inflorescence arises on one or more stems 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 and the Sunset group of cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.