The Wild Garden: Hansen's Northwest Native Plant Database

Lewisia columbiana, var. rupicola (Columbian Lewisia)

Kingdom	:	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	:	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	:	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	:	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass	:	Caryophyllidae
Order	:	Caryophyllales
Family	:	Portulacaceae – Purslane family
Genus	:	Lewisia Pursh – lewisia
Species	:	Lewisia columbiana (Howell ex A. Gray) B.L. Rob. – Columbian lewisia
Variety	:	Lewisia columbiana (Howell ex A. Gray) B.L. Rob. var. rupicola (English) C.L. Hitchc. – Columbian lewisia

This tiny Lewisia grows to only 8” tall.

From multiple rosettes of dark, evergreen leaves arise as many as eight sprays of striped or entirely rose-colored flowers.

This species can live for an exceptionally long time, given excellent drainage and acidic, gravelly soil.

In the wild, it grows on rocky slopes and sends a large taproot between the crevices in the rock to anchor itself.

Native west of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon, Columbian Lewisia is hardy only between USDA zones 6-8.

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