Desfontainia spinosa
Desfontainia spinosa, Chilean Holly
A very attractive and interesting evergreen shrub it is found naturally in the Andes of South America from Costa Rica to Tierra del Fuego. It grows very slowly to about 1m high.
Leaves are dark green, shiny and holly like. They are very tough, hardy and spiky and hang onto the branches for several years.
Flowers are tubular about 7 cm long with a green calyx, waxy red tube and yellow trumpet opening. They are scattered freely around the shrub appearing in summer and autumn. It flowers from a young age.
It tends to favour a cooler climate and in warmer areas a cool partly shady place is fine. It particularly likes an acid soil.
This is a wonderful slow growing shrub and is a great talking point in the garden.
It is named after R L Desfontaines a French botanist and was introduced into England in 1843 by William Lobb a great plant collector.
A very attractive and interesting evergreen shrub it is found naturally in the Andes of South America from Costa Rica to Tierra del Fuego. It grows very slowly to about 1m high.
Leaves are dark green, shiny and holly like. They are very tough, hardy and spiky and hang onto the branches for several years.
Flowers are tubular about 7 cm long with a green calyx, waxy red tube and yellow trumpet opening. They are scattered freely around the shrub appearing in summer and autumn. It flowers from a young age.
It tends to favour a cooler climate and in warmer areas a cool partly shady place is fine. It particularly likes an acid soil.
This is a wonderful slow growing shrub and is a great talking point in the garden.
It is named after R L Desfontaines a French botanist and was introduced into England in 1843 by William Lobb a great plant collector.