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Epimedium
Also called Barrenworts, Fairy Wings
Epimedium is a genus of deciduous or evergreen hardy perennials, mostly native to China, grown for their spider-like spring flowers and attractive foliage. Most garden types are easy, thriving in general garden beds or containers in partial shade.
Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop's hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, or yin yang huo (Chinese: 淫羊藿; pinyin: Yínyánghùo; Wade–Giles: Yin²-yang²-huo⁴), is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae. The majority of the species are endemic to China, with smaller numbers elsewhere in Asia and a few in the Mediterranean region.
Epimedium species are deciduous or evergreen hardy perennials. The majority have four-parted "spider-like" flowers in spring.
Some varieties and hybrids have been in Western cultivation for the last 100 to 150 years. There is now a wide array of new Chinese species being cultivated in the West, many of which have only recently been discovered, and some of which have yet to be named. There are also many older Japanese hybrids and forms, extending the boundaries of the genus in cultivation. The majority of the Chinese species have not been fully tested for hardiness nor indeed for any other aspect of their culture. The initial assumption that the plants would only thrive where their native conditions could be closely replicated have proven to be overly cautious, as most varieties are proving extraordinarily amenable to general garden and container cultivation.
The cultivar 'Amber Queen' is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Epimedium wushanense contains a number of flavonoids. 37 compounds were characterized from the underground and aerial parts of the plant. Among them, 28 compounds were prenylflavonoids. The predominant flavonoid, epimedin C, ranged from 1.4 to 5.1% in aerial parts and 1.0 to 2.8% in underground parts.
Epimedium acuminatum · Barrenwort · Epimedium fargesii · Epimedium franchetii · Barrenwort · Caucasian Barrenwort
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Epimedium 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.
