Click on image for full screen view.

Form/flower

Fruit

Saxifragaceae

Cliff fendlerbush grows on rocky ledges and steep canyon slopes in limestone and igneous soils from the Trans-Pecos north through New Mexico to Colorado and Utah and south into Mexico. It is not a showy plant until it blooms, when the branch tips are covered with a profusion of fragrant white flowers tinged with pink. It is drought tolerant, and needs well-drained soil and full sun to thrive. Cliff fendlerbush is upright, open and vase shaped, with small paired leaves sparsely scattered on intricate branches that give it an oriental quality when not in bloom. It can benefit from selective pruning after it blooms, especially in cultivated gardens. It is long-lived, with a strong tap root. The species name, rupicola, means "lover of rocks".

Plant Habit or Use: medium shrub

Exposure: sun

Flower Color: white

Blooming Period: spring

Fruit Characteristics: capsule with four valves

Height: to 6 feet

Width: to 4 feet

Plant Character: deciduous

Heat Tolerance: very high

Water Requirements:

Soil Requirements: adaptable

USDA Hardiness Zone: 6

Additional Comments: