Siskiyou Lewisia Flower

Photo:  Creative Commons, 2.0, David J. Stang

This strikingly beautiful plant is the Siskiyou Lewisia (also known as the Lewisia cotyledon) – it’s one of several named after Meriwether Lewis due to his detailed flora documentation during the winter of 1806.

It is an evergreen perennial with rosettes of spoon-shaped dark green leaves. In late spring and summer, it sparkles with lovely funnel-shaped flowers, that are no larger than 1 inch in diameter. Colors vary from pale pink to deep magenta, vibrant yellow, salmon, and orange with each petal containing multiple colors.

Native to southern Oregon and northern California, gardeners say Siskiyou Lewisia is easy to grow and it’s perfect for rock gardens or in crevices of retaining walls. The plant grows to between 6-12 inches tall and is about 8-12 inches wide.

There are 19 species and several varieties of Lewisia. All species are edible – the roots were eaten by the Native peoples of the Northwest.