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Common Meadowfoam
Limnanthes douglasii
  
About Common Meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii) 8 Nurseries Carry This Plant Limnanthes douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the meadowfoam family commonly known as poached egg plant and Douglas' meadowfoam. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in wet, grassy habitat, such as vernal pools and spring meadows. It can grow in poorly drained clay soils. The plant was collected by the Scottish explorer and botanist David Douglas, who worked on the west coast of America in the 1820s. The plant usually bears white flowers with yellow centers, hence the name "poached egg plant", but flower color can vary across subspecies. It is a popular ornamental plant. It attracts hoverflies to the garden to beat the aphids and is well loved by bees. It is self-seeding, and gardeners are often careful as to where the seeds fall as it will quite happily grow in a lawn.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual herb

Size
Size
1.6 ft tall
6 in wide

Form
Form
Spreading

Flower Color
Flower Color
Cream, Yellow, White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Native bees and butterflies.

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low, Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Keep moist

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Must have poorly drained clay soil

Common uses
Common uses
Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Include with other moisture-loving plants that can also tolerate sun such as Stream Orchid, Creek Dogwood, and Twinberry.

Maintenance
Maintenance
This flower attracts pest predators such as hoverflies and ladybugs, thereby reducing pest problems in your garden!. Cut back after flowering

Propagation
Propagation?
Collect seeds by allow pods to dry on plant and then break open to collect seeds. Sow seeds spring or autumn and protect autumn sowings from frost. Will also reseed on its own.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Wet meadows, edges of vernal pools, seasonal streams

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 11.0" - 86.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.16" - 2.96", Coldest Month: 36.3" - 50.7", Hottest Month: 58.2" - 77.5", Humidity: 0.08" - 26.16", Elevation: 7" - 5465"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Common Meadow-foam, Douglas' Meadowfoam, Poached Egg Plant


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


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