Ornamental · Montiaceae
Lewisia
Lewisia cotyledon
Give it sharp drainage and a dry crown, and lewisia crowns its rosette with bright flowers each spring.
Partial sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–8
6–12 in · 15–30 cm
Overview
Lewisia is an evergreen from the mountains of western North America, and up close it reads as a flat, symmetrical rosette of thick, fleshy leaves pressed against the gravel. Each leaf is smooth and succulent, spoon-shaped and firm between the fingers, fanning out in a tight spiral from a single stout crown. From that low green whorl the plant lifts slender flower stems in late spring, holding the blooms clear on airy sprays above the leaves.
The flowers are what pull the eye. They open in warm shades of pink, apricot, orange, and yellow, and across many of the petals run fine candy stripes, thin darker lines that trace the length of each petal. The petals themselves are narrow and neatly spaced around an open face, so a well-grown rosette carries a scatter of small starry blooms rather than one large flower.
Down at soil level the plant is all compact strength. The stout crown sits where the leaves meet the ground, feeding a deep root that plunges into thin, gritty scree. The fleshy leaves hold their own water, which gives them their firm, cool feel, and the same tissue is why the plant needs the sharp drainage of its native rock rather than a soft, wet bed.
Care
The short version: lewisia wants gritty, sharply drained soil with the crown kept high and dry, bright light with afternoon shade where summers run hot, and water at the base only once the top of the soil has dried.
Light
Lewisia does best in bright light with afternoon shade, and this matters most where summers run hot. It takes full sun in cooler climates and tolerates part shade, but harsh afternoon sun on an exposed site burns brown patches into the fleshy leaves.
Water
Water reaches the base only, and never the center of the rosette, since water pooled among those tight leaves rots the crown fast. The top of the soil dries between drinks, which usually falls around every 7 to 14 days, and watering eases right off through summer dormancy.
Soil
Lewisia sits in gritty, sharply drained soil of gravel and sand, the loose mineral feel of a mountain scree. A pH from 5.5 to 7.0 suits it, and heavy, wet ground that stays cold and dense around the roots is the one thing it will not take.
Temperature
The rosette holds firm through cold down to -4°F (-20°C) and warmth up to about 75°F (24°C). Heat past that point is the real danger, so cool roots and afternoon shade carry the plant through a hot summer.
Humidity
Lewisia is a low-humidity plant, at ease in thin, dry mountain air. Damp, stagnant air settles among the leaves and invites rot, so open airflow around the crown counts far more than any moisture in the air.
Feeding
A dilute, low-nitrogen balanced feed goes on lightly through spring and early summer. Rich feeding swells the leaves into soft, sappy growth that rots easily, so a sparing hand keeps the rosette firm.
Pruning
Spent flower stems come off at the base once the blooms brown, and shriveled outer leaves pull cleanly away so rot finds no foothold at the crown. No hard pruning is needed, just light tidying of the outer edge of the rosette.
Repotting
Lewisia repots every 2 to 3 years, or sooner as the spreading rosette crowds its pot, in early spring into fresh gritty mix. The stout crown sits at or just above the soil line, and roots at the drainage holes or fewer flower stems mark the time.
Size & spacing
The plant stays compact, a rosette 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall in bloom and about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) across the spread of leaves. That small, slow frame tucks neatly into troughs, crevices, and the front edge of a rock garden.
When to plant
Lewisia is a hardy perennial for zones 4 through 8, an evergreen rosette that holds its form through the year rather than dying back. Young plants set out in spring once the ground is workable, and the flower stems rise from the leaves from late spring into early summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Harvest: Late spring to early summer
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every problem with lewisia comes back to water sitting where it should not. The crown at the center of the rosette and the newest leaves show the first signs, so those are the parts to study closely. Caught early, most trouble can be turned around.
The rosette slumps and the crown turns brown and mushy
When the once-firm rosette slumps and the neck at its center turns brown and soft to the touch, the plant has crown rot. It takes hold where water lingers in the middle of the rosette or the soil stays wet, and a neck gone soft and sour seldom firms up again. Water reaches only the base, grit and a gravel collar ring the crown, and a slope lifts the plant clear where the ground holds moisture.
Fix:
- Stop overhead watering and water only at the base
- Improve drainage by adding grit and a gravel collar
- Lift and replant on a slope or crevice if soil stays wet
- Remove badly rotted plants to prevent spread
Twisted, sticky new growth speckled with tiny insects
The tiny green or grey soft-bodied insects packed along the young leaves and flower stems are aphids, and the glossy, tacky film coating that growth is their honeydew. A gentle stream of water at the base knocks the clusters loose, and insecticidal soap clears the ones that hang on. Ladybirds, once they arrive, work through the colony and keep it thin.
Fix:
- Rinse off with a gentle stream of water at the base
- Apply insecticidal soap if persistent
- Encourage natural predators such as ladybirds
Toxicity
For a home with pets and children, lewisia is easy company, since it is not toxic. The genus has a long history as food, and the related bitterroot was dug and eaten for generations, so a stray nibble at a leaf is nothing to fear. The worst a curious pet might feel is a mild stomach upset from eating too much of any plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
A cat is safe near the rosette. A curious nibble at a fleshy leaf carries no poison, though a large mouthful of any plant can unsettle a sensitive stomach.
Dogs None
A dog meets no toxin in the thick leaves or crown. A chewed leaf or a pawed-at center may bring a mild upset, but nothing dangerous.
Horses Safe
Horses grazing over the fleshy foliage are safe, as lewisia holds no compounds known to harm them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits chew the thick, succulent leaves without harm, though they can shear a young rosette down faster than it regrows.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep that reach the rosettes on the rock garden face no poisoning risk.
Birds Safe
Garden birds and backyard poultry peck at the foliage or seed and take no harm from it.
People Safe
People are safe around it, since the genus has a long food history and the related bitterroot root was dug and eaten for generations.
Varieties
Most garden lewisias are forms of Lewisia cotyledon, sold as seed strains or named hybrids. A few stand out enough in the flesh to seek by name.
Sunset Group / Sunset Strain
A seed strain whose flowers run through a warm spread of orange, apricot, pink, and yellow.
'Elise'
A compact F1 hybrid that flowers quickly from seed and returns to bloom through the season.
var. heckneri
A natural variety set apart by the toothed, wavy edges rippling along its rosette leaves.
How to propagate
You can raise more lewisia from seed or lift the small rosettes it buds off around the crown. Neither is quick, but both hold up well as long as the mix stays gritty and the moisture stays light.
SeedModerate
Sow fresh seed in autumn or late winter; benefits from cold stratification · 1-2 years to flowering size
Fresh seed rests on the surface of a gritty mix in autumn or late winter and stays cool, since a cold spell rouses the seed and lifts germination. The small green seedlings that follow take 1 to 2 years to swell into flowering size.
Offsets & pupsModerate
Spring or early summer once side rosettes form · Several weeks to root, full establishment in one season
Once small side rosettes bud from the crown in spring or early summer, an offset twists free with a sliver of the thick crown attached, and the pale cut surface dries for a few hours. Pressed into barely moist gritty mix, it roots within a few weeks and settles in fully over one season.
Myths
Lewisia is a desert succulent that wants hot, dry, baking conditions.
The thick, water-filled leaves and the demand for sharp drainage are what plant the confusion. Yet this is an alpine plant of rock crevices, one that wants cool roots and afternoon shade wherever summers run hot. Bake it in dry heat and it shrivels and sulks rather than thriving.