Sanguisorba hakusanensis White Brushes

Sanguisorba hakusanensis 'White Brushes' is a visually striking burnet with an elegant shape. It boasts a profusion of fluffy flowers in pure white pendulous spikes from early summer to autumn. This graceful perennial plant adds height to borders and beds, forming a beautiful clump with long pinnate leaves. Very hardy, it thrives in moist, light soils with low limestone content, and enjoys a sunny to semi-shaded exposure.

Sanguisorba hakusanensis is a rhizomatous perennial belonging to the extensive Rosaceae family. It originates from Japan (Haku Island) and Korea, where it naturally grows at high altitudes. It is an herbaceous, rhizomatous perennial plant, reaching a height and diameter of up to 60 cm. Blooming occurs from July to September, with four-petaled flowers in a fairly vivid, slightly bluish pink colour, clustered in gracefully arching pendulous spikes of 5 to 10 cm in length, with a frothy appearance. Each floral stem bears several buds that will elongate into catkins. Only the lower half of the spike contains bisexual flowers. The particularly long leaves measure 20 to 30 cm in length. They are deciduous, odd-pinnate, alternate, composed of petiolate and toothed leaflets. The foliage colour is a very soft green, somewhat greyish, and its slightly exotic appearance evokes ferns or a reduced-size Melianthus major.

'White Brushes' is a cultivar reaching 80 cm in height and 40 cm in width, flowering from June to September.

Asian burnet 'White Brushes' deserves a prime spot in sunny borders and beds, exuding a sense of intense freshness. It can also be used as a cut flower to enhance bouquets. Plant it as a single specimen or in groups of 3 plants for a beautiful visual impact, alongside mugwort (Artemisia lactiflora), Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate', Coneflowers, Thalictrum delavayi var. decorum, and panicled phlox. Its foliage blends perfectly with spring bulbs such as multiflora tulips, small-flowered daffodils, or the snake's head fritillary, which naturalise easily.

Etymology of Sanguisorba: derived from the Latin SANGUIS meaning blood and SORBERE to absorb, directly related to the hemostatic properties (which stop bleeding) of the roots used in herbal medicine.