About
Cautleya spicata is a perennial plant that spreads through rhizomes and features wide, lanceolate leaves of a medium green hue. During the late summer months, it generates upright spikes adorned with yellow blooms, complemented by bracts that range in color from reddish green to maroon.
About the genus
Cautleya consists of rhizomatous perennials characterized by upright stems that support lanceolate or oblong leaves arranged in two rows. The plants produce funnel-shaped yellow blooms, which feature prominent bracts, organized in slender racemes.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Columnar upright
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Sub-tropical
- Native to
- Himalaya
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Preferably plant in humus rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade. Will tolerate sunnier spot if not allowed to dry out. Plant rhizomes 10-15cm deep. Protect with winter mulch
- Pruning
- Cut back once the foliage was frosted
- Propagation
- Propagate by division of established clumps in late spring. Propagate by seed in early spring
- Pest resistance
- Slugs and snails may damage new growth
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free