Talinum, by David Ferguson 83
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ROCK GARDEN QUARTERLY VOLUME 53 NUMBER 2 SPRING 1995 COVER: Iris reticulata with Lycaeides melissa by Cindy Nelson-Nold of Lakewood, Colorado All Material Copyright © 1995 North American Rock Garden Society ROCK GARDEN QUARTERLY BULLETIN OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY formerly Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society VOLUME 53 NUMBER 2 SPRING 1995 FEATURES Fameflowers: The Genus Talinum, by David Ferguson 83 Flag Patio Gone Awry: Accidentally a Rock Garden, by Marcia Tatroe 101 Westerners Go East: Getting Started, by James L. Jones 107 Heucheras: A Few Good Choices, by Grahame Ware 113 Year of the Hoop House: 1994 at Ft. Courage, by Ev Whittemore 127 New Leaf Forms of Hepatica nobilis, by Severin Schlyter 135 DEPARTMENTS Plant Show 133 Plant Portraits 145 82 ROCK GARDEN QUARTERLY VOL. 53:2 FAMEFLOWERS THE GENUS TALINUM by David J. Ferguson What is a "fameflower"? When I Corners. Perhaps the challenge of fig• was a little guy, growing up in north• uring out just what plants I had col• eastern Colorado and western lected was part of what hooked me. I Nebraska, there were two different should mention that the Talinum fameflowers among the many kinds of calycinum is really quite small, to 6" cute little wildflowers that grew in tall, just large by comparison. Both gravelly spots. For me, at that time, species withstand -40°F to 120°F, hard• small cushion plants and tiny succu• ly delicate, yet delicate in appearance. lents just didn't compare to all the Oh, almost forgot, a fameflower, is, cacti, yuccas, prickly poppies and of course, a Talinum; well, at least other showy-flowered, spiny wonders that's part of the story. The real fame• all around. Nor were fameflowers flowers are only some species of the nearly so interesting for me as any of genus Talinum, a group of small, cute, the abundant creepy-crawly critters. little plants with tufts of succulent, I did, however, at least recognize cylindrical leaves, producing rather that fameflowers existed, and one day showy flowers. The other talinums are in 1988 near Clines Corners, New quite different indeed. Mexico, my eyes were opened to their The talinums are members of the charms. On a trip with Sean Hogan, I family Portulacaceae. The family as a collected a few specimens to "play whole has generally received very lit• with." Next thing I knew, I was in tle attention from either botanists or love. Since then I've indulged my horticulturalists; there has long been a infatuation and have learned a great limited interest in a few species of a deal about these neglected plants. few genera, especially Portulaca itself. By the way, the two Great Plains Many Portulacaceae have been used fameflowers of my youth turned out locally as herbs or vegetables, but this to be Talinum calycinum (the "big," use has not received much attention showy one) and Talinum confertiflorum either. (the "delicate" one, covered in small, Most of us know the many orna• pale pink stars). It was also Talinum mental cultivars of Portulaca grandiflora confertiflorum which grew at Clines (mossrose) and Portulaca umbraticula 83 var. lanceolata (purslane). Many have of Cistanthe, related to Cistanthe grandi- grown Lewisia cotyledon, Calandrinia cil- flora (itself usually called a iata (red maids), or even Calyptridium Calandrinia). Cistanthe is a close rela• umbellatum (pussypaws). Of course, tive of the lewisias. most of us have also unwillingly grown one or more of the weedy The genus Talinum, as it is now rec• purslanes (Portulaca oleracea or P. ognized, contains two very different retusa)—if you can't eliminate them, groups of plants. All are perennials by the way, you can eat them, as they with the traits of the family—succulent are nice pot herbs. leaves, bisexual flowers, two sepals, There are a few regional wildflower usually 5 petals, a capsular fruit, and favorites in the family as well. Perhaps thick to tuberous roots. Beyond these most are familiar with spring beauties characteristics, the two groups are (Claytonia caroliniana, C. lanceolata, C. quite different. rosea, C. virginica, etc.), to be seen in early spring in woodlands through Talinum much of the U.S. In the western U.S., The genus Talinum was described in several species of Lewisia (bitterroot) 1763 by Micheal Adanson, and its type are widespread. The Portulacaceae are species is Portulaca fruticosa Linnaeus. a family of roughly 30 genera and hun• This plant is better known by the syn• dreds of species, so, of course, the list onymous name T. triangulare. Talinum above is but a meager representation. fruticosum (the correct name to use It seems odd to me now that tal- now) is the most notorious of the leafy inums are so little known, being found Talinum weeds. over such a large area of the country, The true talinums are leafy perenni• often very near to, or even within, als with fleshy stems arising from a large population centers. Perhaps this perennial base or underground tuber. is due to the fact that most species These plants have flattened leaves favor shallow soils of rocky ledges, with a strong midrib. The 5-petalled where few people venture. Those flowers vary from 0.6 to 2.5 cm. in species that are most abundant tend to diameter and may be yellow, orange, be considered more as weeds than as red, magenta, pink, white, or combina• wildflowers, as they are leafy and tions of these. The fruits are round, mostly have inconspicuous flowers leathery balls that hang pendant from (e.g., Talinum paniculalum, T. spathulatum, the stems, splitting and disintegrating, T. triangulate [=T.fruticosum], and kin). sometimes explosively, when mature. To many who actually do know To this group belong all the weeds; them, the species included under the however, some of them are quite orna• name Talinum have often gotten an mental and worth growing for their undeservedly bad name. A few weedy lovely, large flowers, attractive foliage, species are considered pests by those or large, ornamental tubers. They may growing them unbidden in greenhous• even be grown as root vegetables or es. The reputation is unfortunate, as salad greens! I happen to like them all, many other species are quite attractive but I am in the minority when the vote and well worth growing. The one is taken on several species. species that is truly popular with col• The true talinums occur naturally in lectors of succulents (though still rare semi-arid and tropical regions of in cultivation) is "Talinum guadalup- southern Africa and the Americas, ense," not a Talinum at all, but a species reaching as far north as the southern 84 ROCK GARDEN QUARTERLY VOL. 53:2 United States. A few are widely natu• inums (slightly altered to flameflower) ralized in tropical regions elsewhere. by association in the same genus with They segregate nicely into three sub• the real fameflowers, so has the name groups. flameflower occasionally found its way back. In Africa, these species are Subgenus Helknthemoides Section simply called 'Ystervarkwortel' and Chromanthum 'Butterweed'. Subgenus Helianthemoides Section The North American flameflower Chromanthum, containing most of the species are Talinum angustissimum (yel• species, occurs in semi-arid regions of low flowers), T. aurantiacum (orange to southern South America, southwest• red flowers), T. cymbosepalum (orange ern North America, and Africa. All flowers), T. lineare (yellow to orange species have relatively large, starchy flowers), T. tuberosum (orange flow• root-tubers. They tend to have narrow ers), and T. whitei (yellow to deep leaves on stems which lean sideways, orange flowers), and T. sp. "with vari- and most have large flowers in small, axillary inflorescences of one to three TAUNUM ANGUSTISSIMUM flowers each (the African T. portu- * lacifolium has a termi• nal raceme or pani• cle). The fruits are pendent and do not explode. These species have large root-tubers and are often dug as food. In the southwest• ern U.S., these are usually called flame- flowers, as the most common flower col• ors here are yellow, orange, and red. This is an adulteration of fameflower (I prefer to apply the latter name to the Phemer- anthus types dis• cussed below). Perhaps someone see• ing the hot colors of these species thought that "fame" was a misprint for "flame," and others followed suit. As fameflower has moved in applica• tion to the leafy tal- FAMEFLOWERS 85 ably colored flowers" (yellow, orange, Subgenus Helianthemoides pink, to magenta; a new species, soon A second group (Subgenus Helian• to be validly published). All five themoides) has species with blackish, African species of Talinum are of this branched root-tubers, spatulate leaves, group, and three are known in South and a terminal panicle of tiny flowers America, plus there are probably a few in pink, white, or yellow. The fruit more in North America. valves split into inner and outer layers. The three South American species When ripe the outer layer usually falls, (T. sp. [another botanically unde- leaving the inner layer as a translucent scribed species, photo, p. 123], T. chro- basket netted by veins. This group manthus, and T. polygaloides) plus T. includes T. nocturnum (Paraguay), T. angustissumum are unique among tal- paniculatum (Caribbean-Atlantic trop• inums in possessing woody stems. ics, widely introduced elsewhere), T. These form a close knit subgroup, all sp. "of the Sonora" (also to be with yellow flowers, but those of the described soon; mostly west of South American species may fade to Continental Divide, U.S. and Mexico), orange or red in age. T. spathulatum (continental from U.S. The African species are T. arnotii, T. to Argentina), and perhaps a few caffrum, T.