Whipplea

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Read about Whipplea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Whipplea (in honor of Lieut. A. W. Whipple, commander of the surveying expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1853-1854). Saxifragaceae. Two low shrubs in W. N. Amer. with small opposite nearly sessile lvs., 3-nerved and entire or sparingly dentate, appressed- hairy on both sides, and with small white fls. in terminal cymes: fls. 5- or rarely 6-merous; receptacle turbinate, adnate to the base of the ovary; sepals lanceolate; petals small, oblong-spatulate; stamens 10, rarely 12, with dilated lanceolate filaments and subglobose anthers; ovary half-superior or nearly superior, with 3-6 short styles: fr. a caps. separating into 3-6 1-seeded carpels. They are not hardy N. and rarely cult. in botanical collections only, as they possess no particular ornamental qualities. They are plants of dry regions and demand a well-drained soil; the best place for them is in a rockery. Prop. is by greenwood cuttings under glass and by seeds treated like those of deutzia or hydrangea. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Whipplea
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Cornales Family: Hydrangeaceae Genus: Whipplea Species: W. modesta
Binomial name
Whipplea modesta Torr.

Whipplea is a monotypic genus containing the single species Whipplea modesta, which is known by several common names including common whipplea, yerba de selva, and modesty. It is a dicot shrub or sub-shrub in the Hydrangeaceae family, native to the Pacific Coastal region of the United States.

Whipplea appears to have been first recorded in 1853 by the Scottish botanical explorer John Jeffrey in the Umpqua Valley near Mount Shasta, California, and named for Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple (1817-1863), American surveyor and engineer.

References

• Harvey, A. G., "John Jeffrey: Botanical Explorer", in The Siskiyou Pioneer in Folklore, Fact and Fiction and Yearbook, Siskiyou County Historical Society. 1947. pp. 17-19, 39.
• Jepson Manual Treatment