ORNAMENTAL PLANTS OF HORTICULTURE VALUE
Selection of perennials
Alfredia Cass.
Alfredia |
Asteraceae (Compositae) |
Five species in Central Asia, southwestern Siberia, and northwestern China.
A. cernua (L.) Cass.
Siberia (southwestern regions), Central Asia (Dzungaria) and
northwestern China. In taiga and in larch and birch forests, among
shrubs in clearings.
Plant 2-3 m. Rhizome short, with numerous adventitious roots.
Basal leaves simple, on long narrowly winged petioles, blades
ovate-cordate 30-60 cm x 12-40 cm. Stem leaves smaller. Flowering
stem thick, hollow, branched above, with numerous nodding flower
heads 4-5 cm. Phyllaries (involucral bracts) multiseriate,
linear-lanceolate. Corolla yellow. V - mid spring to late autumn.
Fl - in mid or late summer. Fr - late autumn. P - by seed or
division of rhizome Does well in semishade and in sunny places.
Cold resistant. Well suited for tall herbaceous borders and the
wild garden. Z 4 (3). New.
A. nivea Kar. et Kir.
Central Asia (Tien Shan, Dzungaro-Tarbagatay), also northwestern
China. In shaded coniferous forests, on alpine screes, and in rocky
and stony places in the subalpine belt.
Plant 20-30 cm. Taproot long. Leaves lanceolate, pinnately lobed,
thorny crenate, 20-50 cm x 5-10 cm wide, arched, leatherlike above and
villous pubescent beneath. Flowering stem unbranched or few branched.
Flower heads ca. 4-7 cm long. Phyllaries many, the outer ones
thorny-tipped. Corolla purple. V - mid spring till late autumn.
Fl - mid autumn. P - by seed. Prefers sunny, well drained places.
In the regions of zones 3-4 rarely comes to flower, develops rosette
of leaves. Good for the rock garden. Z 4 (3). New.
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