Helianthemum lunulatum
Credits
Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles
Recommended citation
'Helianthemum lunulatum' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Synonyms
- Cistus lunulatus All.
A dwarf, cushion-like, evergreen sub-shrub 4 to 8 in. high; young shoots covered with a close down and sprinkled with hairs. Leaves elliptic-oblong to obovate, tapered at the base, rounded or obtuse at the apex, 1⁄3 to 5⁄8 in. long, 1⁄8 to 3⁄16 in. wide, dull green and glabrous above, furnished beneath with starry hairs and long simple ones; margins hairy; stalk 1⁄12 in. or less long. Flowers 1⁄2 in. wide, opening during June and July, usually singly, at the end of the young shoots; petals bright yellow, roundish, with a crescent-shaped stain at the base; flower-stalk 1⁄2 to 1 in. long, downy like the young shoots.
A very local species, found only in the Italian part of the Maritime Alps from the Col di Tenda to Monte Corno, South of Valdieri. It is a neat little plant, forming a gay patch of colour in midsummer. Suitable for a sunny spot in the rock garden. Easily propagated by soft cuttings in gentle heat.