A rare, federally threatened subshrub from the Channel Islands of California, found in seaside chaparral. Grow it in full sun with excellent drainage, as it is a native of dry, rocky coastal slopes and is best left to specialist conservation and native-plant growers.
Family
Cistaceae (Cist family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly once established, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings.
Soil
Very well-drained, sandy or gritty mineral soil.
Temperature
Mild coastal conditions; roughly 10–30 °C, protect from hard frost.
How easy
Hard
Native range
California (Channel Is.)
Climate
subtropical
About
Crocanthemum greenei is a rare species of flowering plant in the rock-rose family known by the common name island rush-rose. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows in the chaparral of the rocky seaside slopes. It is present on three of the eight islands, where it has historically been threatened by feral herbivores such as the Santa Cruz sheep and is making a gradual recovery. It is a federally listed threatened species.
This wildflower is an erect perennial herb reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters. Its leafy stem is mostly green, with new growth and inflorescences at the top often appearing purple in color. The leaves are narrow, linear, and pointed, up to three centimeters long. The inflorescence is generally a panicle, producing many buds which open into golden yellow flowers one to two centimeters wide.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Crocanthemum greenei by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.