An annual wildflower native to wet grasslands and vernal pools in Oregon and California, grown for its white flowers with yellow centers. It is self-seeding and does best in cool, moist conditions with full sun.
Family
Limnanthaceae (Limnanth family)
Grows as
Annual
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil moist during germination and early growth, then water moderately; tolerates wet, poorly drained soil.
Soil
Moist, fertile, clay-rich or loamy soil; tolerates poor drainage.
Temperature
10–20 °C is ideal; tolerates light frost, protect from hard freezes.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Native range
Oregon to California
Climate
temperate
About
Limnanthes douglasii is a species of annual flowering plant in the family Limnanthaceae (meadowfoam) commonly known as Douglas' meadowfoam or poached egg plant. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in wet, grassy habitat, such as vernal pools and spring meadows. It can grow in poorly drained clay soils. The plant was collected by the Scottish explorer and botanist David Douglas, who worked on the west coast of America in the 1820s.
The plant usually bears white flowers with yellow centers, hence the name "poached egg plant", but flower color can vary across subspecies. It is a popular ornamental plant. It attracts hoverflies and is pollinated by bees. It is self-seeding, even in a lawn.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Limnanthes douglasii 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.