Chrysosplenium davidianum

Chrysosplenium davidianum is part of a group of small evergreen perennial plants that make good ground cover in damp and shady places. This one, of Chinese origin, is characterized by brown stems carrying small, bright green, hairy leaves veined with brown. It blooms early in spring with small, bright yellow flowers with green bracts. Very hardy and decorative even in winter, this golden saxifrage works wonders at the edge of a stream, between large stones near a waterfall, on the banks of a pond...

Chrysosplenium belongs to the saxifrage family. It is native to central and southern China, specifically the provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan. Its natural habitat consists of forest undergrowth, ravines, and wet rocks at an altitude between 1,500 and 4,100 metres (1,640 yard and 4,500 yard).

It is a very hardy perennial plant with a tufted crown and hairy rhizomes which spreads quite rapidly through stolons. The plant has low and dense vegetation that persists in winter, reaching a height of 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in). This golden saxifrage has brittle, brown, and hairy stems, which carry oval-round leaves measuring about 3 cm (1in) in all directions, with a very wavy edge and hairy on both sides. The green leaves are bordered with brown and crossed by brown veins. It flowers for several weeks from March-April to June depending on the climate. At the end of the stems, small clusters of tiny yellow flowers appear on a collar of light green leaves.

Golden saxifrages are original and vibrant evergreen ground covers in moist areas and shady places, trouble-free when established. You can create a beautiful spring scene by planting them with other shade-loving perennials such as watercress, creeping bugleweed, Lychnis Jenny, pink astilbes, Virginia bluebells, and white or pink obedient plants, for example.