Lewisia cotyledon Sunset Glow® - Lewisia Marianne, Siskiyou Lewisia

Lewisia Sunset Glow® ('Marianne') is a small rock garden perennial that brings beautiful red and orange hues to the garden or to containers. Derived from the alpine species Lewisia cotyledon, the Siskiyou lewisia, it forms a cushion of evergreen rosettes from which small stars that are highly visited by pollinating insects emerge. Drought and frost resistant down to –15 °C, it flowers almost continuously from spring to autumn. A very pretty plant for sunny terraces or rockeries.

'Marianne' is a cultivar marketed under the name Sunset Glow®, selected by Kientzler for its ball-shaped habit and its intense red flowering, which is more regular and longer-lasting than that of classic varieties. The young plant adopts a compact habit, forming a rounded cushion, reaching 10 to 15 cm in height and 20 cm in diameter within two to three years, sometimes a little more in open ground. Thethick and smooth, medium green to glaucous green, ovate to spatulate leaves form basal rosettes that remain decorative in winter. The thin flower stems, about 15 cm high, branch into loose panicles bearing numerous star-shaped flowers 1.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter. In Sunset Glow®, the numerous petals display bright red to orange-red tones, lighter towards the centre, reminiscent of a sunset; the first flowering occurs from May to June, followed by a beautiful second flush in September-October.

Lewisia Sunset Glow® is best planted in an alpine rockery, at the top of a dry-stone wall or in a raised trough from which water can drain quickly. You can create a small composition by pairing it with Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’ and Sempervivum Chick Charms® Chocolate Kiss. In a large container, combine it with blue fescue ‘Elijah Blue’ and a creeping thyme ‘Coccineus’, to create a low and varied carpet.

Lewisia cotyledon belongs to the Montiaceae family and is native to the mountains of southern Oregon and northern California, more specifically the Siskiyou Range, where it anchors itself in rocky walls and moist but always very free-draining subalpine scree. It is an evergreen perennial with a thick taproot and a woody base. The specific name cotyledon, meaning 'little cup', refers to the slightly concave shape of the leaves.
Lewisia are also called "Bitter root", because their edible roots, covered with a bitter skin, were traditionally harvested by indigenous tribes to be consumed once peeled and cooked, roasted or dried, and even served as a form of currency.