Sunday, January 4, 2015

Catalina Silverlace

Catalina Silverlace crowding out other natives near the front door.
I don't feel comfortable singling out one favorite native.  But if I did... it might be Catalina Silverlace (Eriophyllum nevinii) a.k.a. Island Snowflake. 
This one is a few months old.
Can't have too much Silverlace.
It is often mistaken for Dusty Miller, though it is more elegant.  It is in the yarrow family. The flowers look like Dusty Miller too: tall stalks with small yellow composite flowers.  But they are not the main attraction.  The wide silver rosettes are large and showy all year long, and prosper in sun or part shade.

If you are looking for an elegant plant that will stand up in a beauty contest with any pampered hothouse floozy, try Silverlace.  Just don't plant it in a bog. And it's a coastal native; it may not survive a real freeze.

Silverlace is difficult to find.  It is occasionally available from Tree of Life Nursery, but call before you drive there.  The cultivar 'Canyon Snowflake' sold by Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has narrower rosettes and is not as striking.  I tried to propagate Silverlace last year and failed (which indicates my lack of skill, not necessarily the plant's fussiness.) I'll try again.  Can't have too much Silverlace. But I may have to plant my cuttings in the neighborhood common area. Don't tell!
This one has been gracing my patio for almost two years.

I have not yet seen Catalina Silverlace in the wild.  Found only on San Clemente, Santa Barbara, and Catalina Islands, it is endangered, but recovering since they got rid of the goats.  If you find it on a hike, send me a photo!

 Note: the Jepson Flora Project has renamed this plant Constancea nevinii.  Not so genetically close to yarrow after all.  


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11 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 7, 2015 at 9:38 AM

    How far back can this plant be pruned

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    Replies
    1. Terry LePageDecember 7, 2015 at 10:01 AM

      Good question. I have had no trouble thinning it by taking off rosettes. These can be planted! (Though not all of them made it.)

      Delete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 21, 2019 at 1:19 PM

    I bought a potted silverlace in January 2019 from SBBG, but then I FOUND a single plant also growing in my backyard near Maria Ygnacio creek. I didn't plant it, though former owners had done some native-scaping. We've lived here for 3 years and I don't recall seeing it before, but may have overlooked it.

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    Replies
    1. Terry LePageFebruary 21, 2019 at 3:58 PM

      This is a pretty rare native. It is more likely that you saw a naturalized Dusty Miller, Jacobaea maritima also known as Senecio cineraria.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousFebruary 22, 2019 at 9:59 AM

      Here's the image I captured a few weeks ago when I found it (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8CVjD-_L7Mps9FzZTSNzRwO2nF5L-fbqDExbhMvEHttdxmLKOncgJIwXQdLCtYNq3x88Q8hZsGpg-rtiqVpTOfBo8XIxEBrDrE0fSpRvVikH1KMjP0_zlJ8MczYU_XEy89Ib4Wwsr3GHaxAWHRu6lqtr8cmnwe0WjUhdi2JCltYhGcVNIxQLzXJSLYao02jJN70Iha49TV_uG17TkXS86s8al1SIEDtg1Rmx1Mwv46dEftqmRmQFgXjgxrOMJxwcwiGSZvTCwKhLieJUw-qO8XpgyCH4_K-_Npy-Qzoh9WBaV07sB_qILYzanxNbxzsX8LSqd7wAf7RhfMhyuXY9n51P7rfeP6hAdrVryv3U2YvP7_N4tQ3SnTqTggg4fobxaRLdOk1xRaYLIb6mrNNhW-SL11L_fgZKVK2VOVLBZkBX5vxfxuMcLjDOoXrtT_hpAa4nfWJtS4QLHRucZC7QgXx-Pije-yY0ElstJ7wH5J2WOIqOJ7NOabs8J7iO4JcjkjtB1L1cNRuExwgnxJqIW4s1jkepxTKm8vVzdlaXBa0Zgv9CkVICCPn2IBEG-3RVs_O1dygk1tTSA3hc2LCp3PCpHD5EOXu7hfK9uiNCrUZG-_cnxsURF-31vJatJfb04eqoZXYLIwMX2jlfnLutGKcIc1CEnTvn=w683-h910-no) -- hopefully you can see that, although there are no flowers currently. I'm a novice at this, trying to do better for our local plant community. Many thanks!

      Delete
    3. AnonymousFebruary 22, 2019 at 10:00 AM

      Well, that didn't work very well. I converted my URL to a tinyURL here: https://tinyurl.com/y2a2ojpf

      Delete
    4. Terry LePageFebruary 22, 2019 at 10:01 AM

      Wow, I got it thanks for replying. I see it nestled among other natives so seems likely it's the genuine article. But if you look up the other plants you'll see how hard they would be to tell apart.

      Delete
    5. AnonymousFebruary 22, 2019 at 10:12 AM

      Hi Terry, no, thank *you* for responding! I started googling the Dusty Miller a few minutes ago and couldn't believe how close they look!

      Our home's prior owners did some attempt at native plants in the backyard. We are very close to a creek, and have oaks, manzanita, catalina cherries, western red buds, redwoods, matilija poppies, etc. Everything is getting overgrown, though, so we are making an attempt at clean up, hence my interest. I also joined the California Native Plant Society (their facebook group is so helpful!). ~s

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 28, 2022 at 3:24 PM

    My Silverlace that I bought at Santa Barbara Botanical has green lower fronds. Is that normal? What is the best way to care for it?

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  4. HeatherAugust 21, 2023 at 11:46 AM

    We have a Catalina Silverlace we bought as a small potted plant 10 years ago. It is now a large statement in our back yard. This summer it is infested with a black mildew. We haven't found anything yet to cure it. Any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 6, 2023 at 9:42 AM

    Planted at Miguel Botanical Preserve.

    ReplyDelete

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