Lewisia cotyledon

A perennial from the Montiaceae family, Lewisia cotyledon is native to the mountains of northern California and southern Oregon, where it colonizes cliff cracks and well-drained rocky slopes, between 500 and 2,000 meters in altitude, on granite or serpentine substrates.

It forms a persistent rosette of thick, fleshy, spatula-shaped, dark green leaves, slightly wavy at the edges. In spring, numerous branched stems rise from the rosette and bear generous corymbs of flowers with wide, rounded petals, a bright magenta pink, enhanced at the center by a particularly striking cluster of golden yellow stamens.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it generally occurs from April to June, sometimes with a slight resurgence in autumn.

Like all lewisias, it requires perfect drainage and dreads stagnant moisture at the heart of the rosette in winter. Planting obliquely in a rock crevice or a dry stone wall remains the safest solution. Poor, well-drained substrate, neutral to slightly acidic; sunny to semi-shaded exposure.