Phedimus obtusifolius listoniae

Botanical collectors operate on a different level of appreciation for obscure plants, and Phedimus obtusifolius listoniae is the kind of selection that earns quiet enthusiasm from people who know what they're looking at. It's an uncommon variety with a slightly different leaf form than the straight species — rounder, more blunt-tipped, with a soft glaucous quality — and pink flowers that appear in summer. It has the compact, mat-forming habit grow leaf upon leaf to form ground hugging rosettes. The leaves are bright green transforming into cinnamon brown/red in the bright summer sun.

Zone 5 hardy and performing well in PNW conditions with full sun and excellent drainage. It's suited to trough gardens and detailed rock garden compositions where the subtle distinctions between related varieties are appreciated and visible at close range. Lean, gritty soil suits it best — it doesn't need rich conditions and will grow more compact and attractive on the lean side. For the gardener who's already grown the more common Phedimus selections and wants to go further into the genus, listoniae provides exactly that kind of deeper engagement. Obscurity, in the right hands, is a virtue.