ORNAMENTAL PLANTS OF HORTICULTURE VALUE

Selection of perennials

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.