| Where the garden meets the wild | ||||
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PHEMERANTHUS & TALINUM TALINUM, ROCK PINK, FAMEFLOWER Portulacaceae (Purslane family) |
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Many Talinum species of interest to gardeners have been moved to the genus Phemeranthus; that's where they'll be in the new Flora of North America, based on both genes and physical appearance. There's nothing to stop us from calling them talinum in conversation, of course. Talinums are treasures, yet they could not be easier to grow. They are xeric, living happily in pure sand or gravel, as long as their roots can reach down to coolness. Their elegant 5-petalled flowers in clear colors open only in the afternoon ~ very welcome on a patio as the sun passes the yardarm. Their fleshy, waxy-looking, often blue-green leaves make mounds or mats and last from spring till frost. In their form and variety, Phemeranthus leaves resemble those of a cousin, Lewisia. We have grown talinums from wild seeds many times, but all our current offerings are from garden seeds. |
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| Photograph © Pat Woodward | Phemeranthus brevifolius
(Torrey)
Hershkovitz. Pygmy fameflower, Club-leaf fameflower.
Formerly Talinum brevifolium. Bright pink flowers bloom
in panicles all summer above a mat of 5-cm (2") grey-green fingers. Native
to Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Height to 30 cm (12"). Zone 6,
maybe colder.
Pot (6 cm / 4"). In Canada C$6.00; elsewhere US$5.50. |
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Photographs © Charles S. Lewallen |
Phemeranthus
calycinus (Engelmann)
Kiger.
Large-flowered fameflower. Formerly Talinum calycinum. Airy, open
panicles of pink flowers bloom in July-August above fleshy,
finger-like leaves. Native to the central and southern United States, this
is a tough plant adapted to hot, dry, rocky terrain. It does well in a rock garden. Height
30 cm (12"). Zone 4. Pot (6 cm / 4"). In Canada C$6.00; elsewhere US$5.50. |
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Photograph © Paige Woodward |
Phemeranthus
sediformis (Poelln.) Kiger. Okanogan fameflower.
Formerly Talinum okanoganense and T. sediforme. Small white flowers with red
stems lie in clusters on a mat of tiny, plump, blue-green needle leaves. This
rare plant is native to the dry sagebrush country of British
Columbia's Okanagan and Thompson valleys and to two adjacent counties in Washington state. Fewer than 3
dozen sites in all have been recorded. Its global status is G2
(red-listed). Our plants are from garden seeds. This treasure lasts well in an
outdoor trough or rock-garden site sheltered from winter
wet. Height 5 cm (2"). Zone 5.
Pot (6 cm / 2.5"). In Canada C$6.00; elsewhere US$5.50. |
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| Phemeranthus spinescens
(Torrey) Hershkovitz. Spiny fameflower. Formerly Talinum
spinescens. Our plants descend from seeds
collected by Ron Ratko in Yakima County, WA. Pot (8 cm / 3"). In Canada C$6.00; elsewhere US$5.50. |
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| Talinum paniculatum
(Jacquin)
Gaertner. Jewels of Opar; Panicled fameflower. Tu ren shen
(Chinese). Hot pink flowers bloom in a delicate, open panicle above
a rosette of large, glaucous leaves. The flowers open in
July-August and are gradually replaced by long-lasting seed pods like
flattened globes that ripen from amber to cinnabar-red.
This is a delightful plant which we did not expect to be able to offer. It
turned up at our nursery in seed of another species. Native to the central
and southern United States, and to Central America, it prefers damp shade
and is naturalized in many other parts of the world. In China, Talinum
paniculatum is cultivated as a medicinal herb. In Southeast Asia,
it is used as a spice. Height 30-100 cm (12-40"). Perennial above
Zone 9; elsewhere treat as an annual.
Pot (10 cm / 4"). In Canada C$6.00; elsewhere US$5.50. |
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| Talinum okanoganense. Please see Phemeranthus sediformis. | ||||
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| This page was updated Sept. 22, 2006 | ||||
