Epimedium platypetalum

RHS Plant Profile
broad-petalled barrenwort

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broad-petalled barrenwort RHS
Herbaceous Perennial
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A clump-forming rhizomatous perennial 25cm high, with evergreen leaves of three heart-shaped leaflets, each up to 4cm long, which emerge mottled with red and brown in spring, mature to deep green, and are flushed with purple in autumn, and many flowers with very small white sepals and spurless, bell-shaped, lemon-yellow petals, from spring to early summer; Epimedium leaves may be used for their nests by leaf-cutting bees

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Partial shade
Aspect
North–facing or West–facing or East–facing or South–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Berberidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Epimedium are rhizomatous perennials with evergreen or deciduous, ternately or pinnately divided leaves, and open sprays of small, bowl-shaped flowers, often with prominent spurs, in mid to late spring
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
China (Sichuan)

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade, with shelter from cold, drying winds, thought it will tolerate drier conditions than some other Epimedium species; where frosts are prolonged or severe, spread an organic mulch such as leaf mould or composted bark to protect plants over winter

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sown in containers in a cold frame as soon as they are ripe in summer; by division in autumn or after flowering; or by root cuttings of rhizomes, kept under glass in winter, and planted out after all danger of frost has passed

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Garden edging
  • Ground cover
  • Banks and slopes
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

No pruning required, but cutting back in late winter or early spring, before flower spikes form, will improve appearance

Pests

May be susceptible to vine weevil

Diseases

May be susceptible to mosaic virus diseases and fungal leaf spots