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| Romneya x 'White Cloud' flower S. Reeve |
Romneya coulteri may be the most iconic native California flower. Indeed, author of the book, The Wild Flowers of California, 1897, Mary Elizabeth Parsons, deemed it the, "Queen of California Flowers." I remember the first time I saw it, it was planted en masse along the side of the road in a hot and dry location. I started hyperventilating at the sheer spectacle of so many mammoth luminous crepey-petalled white flowers with a large boss of bright orange-yellow stamens. The easy access to so much pollen had sent the honey bees into a frenzy and flowers had a crowd of honeybees in each one. Ever since then I have wanted to grow this plant. The memory of it caused me to make it one of the first plants I put in the ground at my home in La Mesa, CA. Nothing teaches you more about a plant then growing it and I have learned so much since then. When it is blooming it is easy to see why it is called the, "fried egg" plant. It is also referred to as the Matilija Poppy as it is native to Matilija Canyon in the Ojai Valley and named after Chief Matilija of the Chumash tribe. Although well known by the native Indians, this plant was collected by Irish botanist Dr. Thomas Coulter in 1833, and the genus name came from his friend, astronomer, Dr. Thomas Romney Robinson.
There are two species in the Genus, Romneya coulteri and Romneya trichocalyx. These are Southern California natives with the range of Romneya trichocalyx extending into Baja, CA. Romneya trichocalyx is commonly called, "Hairy Matilija Poppy." It differs from Romneya coulteri in that it can be found at higher elevations, blooms for a shorter period of time, has smooth light brown seeds, and bristles on the sepals and stems. It is also smaller in stature and the leaves tend to be finer and narrower. Romneya coulteri has furry seed pods but has no prickles on the stems or leaves.
Romneya coulteri reaches 8 feet or taller in my garden and the plant spreads widely and invasively by runners. These suckers or traveling roots are impressive in their size and scale. They are golden yellow and up to a half-inch in diameter, and they can vigorously travel for many feet before they pop up again. As boisterous as the roots are, you would think they would transplant easily, but this plant is particularly sensitive to having its roots disturbed. I have tried a number of times to share this plant with others, and even with the most healthy and sizeable rooted sections, it fails.
Flowers of Romneya coulteri are up to 7-or more inches across and are said to be the largest flower of any native California plant. The buds are round and hold so much promise of gigantic flowers to come. The flower has 5-6 large crinkled white petals and is fragrant.
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| Bristly Sepals of Romneya x 'White Cloud' S. Reeve
After growing both the straight species of Romneya coulteri and the cross between R. Coulteri and R. trichocalyx called, 'White Cloud', I much prefer the cultivar because it stays more compact, is not as inclined to travel, and has even larger flowers. Since it is a cultivated selection it must be propagated vegetatively, and root cuttings are commonly used. The key is to take them in the winter. The two species hybridize readily leading to Theodore Payne noticing the special qualities of one such hybrid in 1940, and naming it 'White Cloud'. The plant was almost lost until Tree of Life Nursery brought it back into cultivation in the '70s, and that is where I found it for my own garden.
Romneya x 'White Cloud' S. Reeve
Romneya x 'White Cloud' also has lovely bluish foliage that is the perfect color to complement the colors of the flower. I have noticed Romneya coulteri can have more greenish colored foliage, and I prefer the blue hues of 'White Cloud'.
Romneya x 'White Cloud' S. Reeve
This plant blooms for over a month in the late spring. I garden for wildlife, and this plant is no exception to my other wildlife-attracting plants. Honey bees often crowd the flowers and the bees jostle each other vying for a larger share of the pollen. I have not noticed native bees on this plant, but it could be only the smaller native bees visit.
Romneya and honey bee.
One of the decidedly large drawbacks to the species Romneya coulteri is the exuberance with which it spreads. In one place I have it I continually have to pull out runners. You can slow these down by never watering this plant. It is tricky to get established, but once it figures out it likes where it is, stand back, and watch out! The second time I planted it was a much more appropriate place where it could spread to its heart's content. Luckily, if you don't have space, it can grow well in a pot. This plant likes hot dry sandy soil areas with good drainage and full sun. Plant it but disturb the roots as little as possible. You will know within a day-or-two whether the plant will take or not. This plant will decide right away if it will thrive or die. You may have to try it in a few different locations before it will settle in. Where I have a little shade, Romney coulteri can get rust on it after it flowers. Because of this I cut it down to the ground after it flowers. It comes back just fine. The furry brown oval seed pods contain many tiny golden seeds that germinate easily after a fire. The football-shaped seed pod peels open at the top when the seeds are ripe and looks very much like a miniature tiki torch. Native plant nurseries get good results from smoking pine needles for several minutes above sown flats of seeds. This plant is hardy in Zone 7-10 and goes dormant in the winter.
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Nice to see you posting again about native plants. Great info, keep it coming
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