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Carpenteria californica (Bush Anemone) - An attractive much branched evergreen shrub that typically grows 6 to 8 feet tall by 3 to 5 feet wide, but when happy can grow a few feet taller and wider with vertically inclined gray stems that peal back annually to reveal new yellowish-tan bark. The 4- to 5-inch-long narrow lanceolate leaves are dark glossy green above with dense white hairs on the surface below and have slightly revolute margins. In late spring to early summer at the branch tips appear the clusters of fragrant 3-inch-wide white flowers with bright yellow stamens; occasionally some flowers might be seen extending nearly into fall.
Plant in full sun or light shade (requires shade in inland gardens) in a well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant once established but looks its best in an acidic organic amended soil with occasional to regular irrigation. It is cold hardy to 15-20 degrees F. Its sometimes has leggy stems that give an untidy look in the garden, but tip pinching and judicious pruning can help maintain it as a very attractive plant. It is reported to be oak root fungus (Armillaria) resistant, but susceptible to aphids, particularly if plants are drought stressed, and this can disfigure the new growth of the plant. The bitter foliage is not readily browsed by deer so only gets eaten when they are desperate.
Carpenteria californica is endemic to a very limited range along the foothills of the western side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where it is often found in abundance on relatively moist north-facing slopes and in ravines. The plant was first discovered in 1845 during one of Captain Fremont's attempts to cross the Sierra Nevada from the west and described in 1953 from specimens collected by the preeminent American botanist Dr. John Torrey (1796-1873). The name honors William Marbury Carpenter (1811-1848), a noted Southern American botanist and physician. Because Fremont mistakenly thought he was in another watershed when he collected the plant, searchers could not find the plant again until it was rediscovered in 1876 near the town of Tollhouse along the toll road to Pine Ridge in Fresno County. Carpenteria was long placed in the family Saxifragaceae but the current treatment is to include it with the mock oranges in the Philadelpheae tribe of the Hydrangeaceae.
We have grown this attractive California native plant since 1982 and also grow the cultivar Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth'.
The information about Carpenteria californica 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. |
