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Bupleurum fruticosum (Shrubby Hare's Ear) - A durable and attractive evergreen shrub that has a rounded dense form to 4 to 6 feet tall and as wide with gray stems that are at first upright but later arch over, carrying soft elliptical to oblong leaves that lack petioles and are a glossy blue green above with a lighter central vein and gray-green below. From late spring though summer appear the tiny sulfur yellow star shaped flowers held in delicate 3- to 4-inch-wide rounded umbels at the branch tips.
Plant in full sun to light shade in pretty much any soil type that drains, where it requires very little irrigation but can also tolerate more frequent watering. It is hardy to around 5° F and useful in USDA Zones 6 and above. It also puts up with first exposure seaside conditions, so is a great plant for beach area plantings. It is also resistant to deer predation and tolerates being pruned to shape - what an adaptable plant! Not terribly fast growing or showy from a distance, but its dainty yellow flowers contrast nicely with the dark foliage and, up close, it is quite charming. Since it holds foliage all the way to the ground, it is also a great background hedge or border foil for other plants and is reportedly a good habitat plant for many types of beneficial insects with flowers attractive to bird and insect pollinators.
Bupleurum fruticosum is native to the Mediterranean region from southern Europe from Portugal, Spain, Southern France, Italy and Greece south to North Africa, where it grows in walls and rock areas and is a component of the maquis, the European equivalent to California's chapparal. It is fairly unique in the carrot family as a shrub and also with parallel venation on a simple leaf. The name for the genus comes from the Greek name for plant that means "ox rib", presumably for the shape of the leaves and the specific epithet means "shrubby". We first encountered this plant growing in the Mediterranean Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew and decided we just had to grow it!
The information about Bupleurum fruticosum displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
