Indian Rhubarb, Darmera peltata

About Indian Rhubarb (Darmera peltata) 22 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Darmera peltata (Indian rhubarb or, ambiguously, "umbrella plant") is the only species within the genus Darmera in the family Saxifragaceae. It is a slowly-spreading rhizomatous perennial from mountain streamsides in woodland in the western United States (southwestern Oregon to northwestern California). In late spring the flowers emerge before the leaves, with rounded cymes of numerous five-petalled white to bright pink flowers (measuring up to 1.5 centimeter across each) borne on flower stems up to 2 meter long. The leaves are peltate, rounded, deeply lobed, coarsely-toothed, conspicuously veined and dark green, also on stems up to 2 meter in height. The leaves turn red in autumn.

In gardens, Darmera peltata flourishes in pond margins and bog gardens, where it forms an imposing umbrella-like clump. It is suited to smaller gardens where there is no room for Gunnera manicata or Gunnera tinctoria, unrelated plants that are somewhat similar in appearance, but much larger. It is easy to grow in the cooler climates of its native range, but is not happy in hot southern areas.

D. peltata has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

2 - 6.6 ft tall
2 - 3 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Spreading

Growth Rate

Slow

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

Pink, White

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Keep moist

Nurseries

Carried by 22

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5 - 10° F

Soil Drainage

Standing

Soil Description

Adaptable

Common uses

Bogs and Ponds, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants

Spice Bush (Calycanthus occidentalis), Seep Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus), Giant Chain Fern (Woodwardia fimbriata), White Brodiaea (Triteleia hyacinthina), Field Mint (Mentha arvensis), Water Plantain (Alisma triviale), Douglas' Meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii ssp Rosea), Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)

Propagation?

Propogates by rhizomes. Divide the rootball and replant.

Sunset Zones?

1*, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 14, 15, 16, 17*, 18, 19, 20

Natural Setting

Site Type

Rocky streambanks

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 13.1" - 77.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.33" - 2.18", Coldest Month: 32.2" - 52.0", Hottest Month: 57.1" - 79.3", Humidity: 0.33" - 25.31", Elevation: 135" - 6708"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Umbrella Plant

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Indian Rhubarb

Darmera peltata

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Indian RhubarbDarmera peltata

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Indian Rhubarb

Darmera peltata