FRANCOA (Franco'a)

DESCRIPTION: These tender perennials, commonly known as Bridal Wreaths, are natives of Chile. F. sonchifolia grows 24 to 30 inches high or more. It produces basal clumps of round, deeply lobed, dark green, fuzzy leaves with winged leafstalks and compact racemes of small, cup-shaped flowers, in summer and early fall. They are pink with red markings.

POTTING: Bridal Wreaths need light, well-drained soil and a sunny or lightly shaded, warm and sheltered position. In very harsh climates, they may be grown indoors in a mixture of two parts loam and one part leaf mold, with a liberal amount of sand added.

PROPAGATION: Cuttings may be inserted in a cold frame, in the spring or summer. Seeds may be sown in the spring, in containers of light soil. These plants may also be divided in the spring.

VARIETIES: F. ramosa; F. appendiculata; F. sonchifolia.

Go see DICTIONARY OF BOTANICAL NAMES.

Back to our botanical home page.