Tolmiea

Plant Characteristics

Habit		herbaceous
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	part-sun, shade
Water:	◍	moist

Scientific Names

Saxifragaceae >

Tolmiea >

The plant Tolmiea menziesii (pronounced /tɒlˈmiːə mɛnˈziːzi.aɪ/) is the only member of the monotypic genus Tolmiea. It is known by the common names youth on age, thousand mothers, and piggyback plant. It is a perennial plant commonly kept as an ornamental. It is native to the west coast of North America, especially in regions dominated by redwoods. It requires moisture and does not tolerate much sun or dry conditions.

The plant is most interesting for its reproductive habits. It grows plantlets from the petiole near the base of each leaf. The plantlets drop off, fall in the soil, and take root there. It will also reproduce by rhizome and by seed propagation. It bears small flowers of various colors, usually brownish-purple to white depending on the cultivar. It has hairy, toothed leaves and a capsule fruit containing spiny seed.

The plant is also unusual in that it is sometimes diploid and sometimes tetraploid, due to autopolyploidy.

The genus was named after the Scottish-Canadian botanist William Fraser Tolmie.

Read about Tolmiea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Tolmiea (named for Dr. Tolmie, surgeon of Hudson Bay Co.). Saxifragaceae. Herbaceous, glandular pubescent, hardy: rhizome scaly: sts. simple: cauline lvs. alternate, radical petioled, cordate-incised-lobate; stipules membranaceous: racemes terminal, slender, simple: fls. rather secund, nodding, green; calyx-tube elongate, funnelform-campanulate, 5-lobed; petals 5, capillary; stamens 3; ovary narrowly oblong, 1-celled: caps. exserted from the calyx, superior, 2-valved, 2-beaked. — One species. Borders and wild-garden. CH 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 It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article.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.

Cultivation

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Gallery

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  Tolmiea menziesii amongst Bedstraw

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Tolmiea. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Tolmiea QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)