Vancouveria hexandra

Vancouveria hexandra is the North American first cousin of the genus Epimedium. Native to forest floors in the Pacific Northwest, Vancouveria hexandra is a slowly-spreading, semi-evergreen groundcover with unique thalictrum-like foliage. In mid-spring, the patches are topped with 14" tall stalks of small, dangling white flowers that resemble shooting stars (dodecatheon). For best performance, vancouveria prefers rich, slightly moist, but well drained soils. While vancouveria grows much faster in its native haunts, it has survived over 15 years in our garden, despite our hot, humid summers. Vancouveria is named for the 18th century British plant explorer, George Vancouver, who explored the Pacific Northwest flora back in the day. Medicinally, vancouveria has also been used to treat coughs, sinus congestion, hay fever, and rhinitis...who knew?