Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society Volume 51 Number 4 Fall 1993 Cover: Colchicum autumnale by Jill S. Buck of Westminster, Colorado All Material Copyright © 1993 American Rock Garden Society Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society Volume 51 Number 4 Fall 1993 Features Mountain Plants of Ecuador and Peru, by Betty Lowry 243 High Places of the Andes, by David Hale 251 Argentinian Plants You Can Grow, by Sean Hogan 261 A Brief History with Primula, by Geoffrey Charlesworth 267 50 Years of the ARGS Bulletin: Authors, by Mamie Flook 285 50 Years of the ARGS Bulletin: Subjects, by Mamie Flook 295 Departments Gardens 274 Plant Portrait 294 Awards 298 Malvastrum species Oxalis species 242 Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society Vol. 51(4) Mountain Plants of Ecuador and Peru by Betty J. Lowry Elver since I acquired a copy of input from readers familiar with these Sampson Clay's The Present Day areas regarding identities of any of the Rock Garden years ago, the Andes plants discussed. The taxonomy of have fascinated me more than any South American plants seems to be in other area. John Watson's exciting great flux, and the names of Peruvian accounts and photographs only fanned plants in particular are likely to be obso• the flames. The diversity of Andean lete as the publication of the Flora plants includes some bearing close commenced nearly 60 years ago. resemblance to those of our gardens, Most of the plants described below but it is the many unusual plants, either came from elevations of 3500-4600 South American specialties or weird meters (10,500-15,000'). The major and wonderful adaptations of familiar areas visited in Ecuador were Volcan families, which can whet the most jaded Cotopaxi, Volcan Chimborazo, Volcan appetite. So, when David and Donna Cayambe, and Cajas NRA, and in Peru, Hale invited us to accompany them to Cordillera Blanca (Ancash) and the area Ecuador, Chile, and Peru, we accepted east of Lima across the Andean divide with alacrity. I would like to describe in Junin Province, a limestone region here some of the tropical mountain that was particularly promising in view plants of Ecuador and Peru. The choice of the high concentration of choice of subjects is strictly a personal one, species listed in the Flora for that area. and difficult in view of the many The Asteraceae of Peru and Ecuador marvelous plants that we saw. are abundant and have some special• Plant names are based on Flora of ized genera that are especially interest• Peru and Flora of Ecuador, both of ing. Wernerias are paramount among which are incomplete. In addition, I these. Most conspicuous is Werneria have adopted some of the names given nubigena, a huge, glistening white by Robert Rolfe for Ecuadorian plants. daisy backed with red. This spectacular Many of the names are tentative, and daisy is essentially stemless and has there are some for which I can give no grayish-green, strap-like foliage that name at all. I would be pleased to have reminds one of a patch of Narcissus 243 foliage. It grows in various habitats, white or yellow. But my favorite is with tussock-formers or in moisture- Hypochoeris sessiliflora, which in grit• loving plant communities. Very much ty open areas forms large, firm cush• different is Werneria humilis, one of ions composed of the rosetted, slightly the finest cushion daisies I have seen toothed foliage. On this mound the (photo, p. 304). The smooth, green stemless, golden dandelions perch. cushions are composed of minute, Apart from these, there were many tightly packed leaves, and the 20-mm other interesting composites. There white daisies are stemless on the plant. were several high elevation species that The cushions can attain well over 30cm form mats and cushions, some with in diameter. It is truly a plant to be discoid heads, others whose flowers desired. It seems to prefer raised, were not seen. Some plants definitely hummocky areas. At Cajas in close had a New Zealand flavor. Several proximity to Werneria humilis was a looked very much like celmisias, and pink-flowered werneria (photo, p. 304). another bewitching, small mat-former This plant was larger in all its parts than was reminiscent of Raoulia eximia. the first, with stiff, 8-mm leaves form• Neither of the floras is complete for ing a firm, compact cushion. Its rose- Asteraceae, so attempts to identify pink, stemless heads were a full 3cm members of this group were particularly broad. Though only a stone's throw frustrating. away from W. humilis, this species The Gentianaceae of Peru and preferred moister depressions, where it Ecuador are numerous and often excit• made smaller cushions than the former. ing, and most of those we saw are well On high, bleak, rocky areas there resid• worth description here. Nowadays, only ed another werneria with large, almost plicate species are classified as hemispheric domes, whose stemless, Gentiana, and those without plicae fall white flowers were backed pink. I found into Gentianella. This leaves tiny W. pygmaea, described as white Gentiana sedifolia as the only true with a violet center, fascinating if not gentian in these countries. It follows the showy. I had never seen a deep violet family tradition in being a bright, sky- pappus before! blue. The flowers are often brushed One of the most extraordinary with darker violet externally, giving a daisies is one to which I can put no distinctly striped bud. It is extremely definite name (photo, p. 303). Abso• variable, some plants having tiny flow• lutely sessile on a flat rosette of rhom• ers of bright, deep blue, others much boid, much-veined, crinkled leaves sits a larger flowered, often pale blue or even huge, golden-yellow daisy with narrow white. Amongst wet cushion communi• rays. The flower heads varied from 6.5- ties, plants sometimes formed consider• 7.5cm in diameter. The bullate leaves able tight patches of small foliage, but are shiny green backed white. Could it in drier habitats the plants, though be Liabum bullatum? There is a stun• often larger-flowered, were frequently ning variation in one area of the quite small. Cordillera Blanca whose veined and Gentianella rupicola is widely crinkled leaves were totally gray with distributed in Ecuador. It is a dwarf hairs. plant with very compact mats of small, The tribe Cichoriae is well represent• rosetted foliage. The satiny flowers vary ed in Ecuador. There are many charm• from rather crocus-like to starry and are ing, dwarf, rosette-forming "dan• large for the plant, up to 2.5cm long. delions" with large, stemless heads of There is but a single flower per stem, 244 Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society Vol. 51(4) and the overall height is only 5cm. The flowers occur singly on short, leafy color varies mainly through lavender to stems, the whole being little more than pink, with an occasional white. Some• 4cm tall. Both species are plants of times the exterior of the flower is open limestone slopes of the Junin purple with a lighter interior. It is a very region, often growing in humus-filled choice species. On the great volcanoes crevices of limestone pavements. (which make their own weather), it can A rather unprepossessing-looking, be found in sandy open areas and coarse-foliaged plant out of flower, sparsely vegetated flats. Elsewhere it Gentianella incurva makes up for it occurs in turfy situations, even growing with its clusters of 2.5cm bright yellow in cushion vegetation. globe flowers. As the flowers age, they Bizarre and beautiful might be a assume lovely apricot tints. This, a description of a southern Ecuador plant only about 10cm tall, grows on specialty, Gentianella hirculus. Its 2- open, vegetated slopes, a stone's throw cm yellow globes are externally striped from opuntias and dwarf Ephedra. Yet scarlet and do not open. It is quite a another distinct species is G. tristicha, neat plant, the small basal foliage form• which looks like a little clump of grass ing a compact mat. In open situations until the inflorescence of 18-mm, the entire plant is only about 7cm in purple flowers bursts forth on 10cm height with only one flower per stem. It stems. Gentianella peruuiana, a plant usually occurs in turfy places, but some• of Junin limestones, is a nice, small times occurs on lightly vegetated, rocky plant with good-sized, blush-pink flow• slopes. In shady places the plant ers. Before leaving Gentianaceae, I becomes much taller and carries several would like to call attention to the unusu• flowers per stem. al genus Halenia. The most attractive Yes, we did see red gentianellas in of these was Halenia weddeliana, a Peru! The first and showiest of these tidy little plant of about 10cm with was Gentianella weberbaueri (photo, several long-spurred, greenish-yellow p. 280). This, the largest Gentianella flowers that look more like columbines we saw, was up to 40 cm tall, the than gentians. It grew along with largest specimens forming a pyramidal Gentianella rupicola in open, sandy fountain of satiny, nodding, red, salver- areas as well as in denser plant commu• form flowers. These were up to 3.5cm nities. in length. The texture, color and form Onto Malvaceae, home of presti• were exquisite. The stem of this species gious Nototriche. Since the days of was stout and the leaves fleshy. The Miss Stafford, this pulvinate hollyhock plant appeared short-lived, though it is with its crocus-like flowers of many listed as a perennial. It grew in the colors has become one of the ultimate Cordillera Blanca at 4400 m on slopes challenges both to acquire and to grow.