Helianthemum nummularium

Perennial subshrub of the Cistaceae family, widely spread across Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Balkans and the British Isles. It is the most common rockrose on the continent, and the parent species of the vast majority of garden cultivars. It colonizes dry calcareous grasslands, rocky slopes, sunny edges, and poor meadows, from the plains up to about 2,500 meters in the Alpine and Pyrenean massifs.

It forms sprawling, bushy clumps that are widely branched, from 15 to 40 cm in height depending on the environment, with semi-woody stems at the base. The leaves, oval to oblong, are green on the upper side and paler to slightly tomentose underneath, with well-visible stipules at the base of the petioles, a distinctive feature useful for identification.

The flowers are a bright and clear yellow, with five slightly crumpled rounded petals, centered on a cluster of golden yellow stamens. They bloom in loose clusters at the top of the stems, each flower lasting only one day, replaced by another the next day. In full bloom, the clumps can be covered with dozens of flowers simultaneously, forming luminous patches in the low vegetation.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to August depending on altitude. In cultivation, it mainly occurs from May to July.

It thrives in well-drained, poor to moderately calcareous soil, in full sun. Perfectly hardy and drought-tolerant, it requires no particular care once established in suitable conditions.