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Fallugia paradoxa

Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
fuh-LOO-ee-guh par-uh-DOCKS-uh
Description

Apache Plume is a slender, deciduous, multi-branched, flowering shrub, native to the dry and sun baked hills of the southwestern United States. At maturity, it can typically reach a height of 6 feet with an equal width and a rounded form; however, specimens have been reported at 12 feet high. The plant is distinguished by a dense growth of grayish-white, pubescent, tangled, slender stems and 2 inch saucer-shaped white blooms that appear in spring through summer. These thick shrubs can appear unkempt, but in full flower their white petals are attractive against the dark foliage. The fruit clusters, with their feathery, purplish tails, are said to resemble an Apache headdress.

Apache Plume is easy to grow in dry, limestone-based, rocky, sandy, loam or clay soils in sun to part shade. It prefers an alkaline PH, but will not grow in full shade. It is very drought tolerant. The plant tolerates temperatures down to about 20 degrees F. and would require a well-drained site in full sun with shelter from cold winds and prolonged frosts, such as a south-facing wall.

Apache Plume has an extensive root system that makes it well suited to planting for erosion control and is often used for that purpose on slopes. It can self-seed and, in optimum conditions, can become too aggressive. You can, however, prune back the oldest stems to control growth.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

No known diseases or insect pests.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#drought tolerant#deciduous shrub#erosion control#multistemmed#flowering shrub#hairy stems#dry soils tolerant#perennial
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#drought tolerant#deciduous shrub#erosion control#multistemmed#flowering shrub#hairy stems#dry soils tolerant#perennial
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Fallugia
    Species:
    paradoxa
    Family:
    Rosaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Native Americans used the plant for medicinal purposes. Twigs have been used for arrows or tied together for use as a broom. A rinse made from the steeped leaves is used as a hair rinse.
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Seed
    Stem Cutting
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Southwestern United States
    Distribution:
    Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.
    Wildlife Value:
    Attracts pollinators. Shrub provides cover for wildlife and nesting material. Important forage plant.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Semi-evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Clumping
    Erect
    Multi-stemmed
    Rounded
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Pink
    White
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Achene
    Aggregate
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Fruit heads borne at the tips of very dense, intertangled, twiggy, slender branches. The fruit has pink, feathery plumes and is persistent. The heads of fruits are very handsome, each carpel being terminated by a slender style 1 inch long, clothed with silky hairs, the whole forming a dense feathery mass.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Pink
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Raceme
    Solitary
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Long Bloom Season
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Fall
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Saucer
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    1-3 inches
    Flower Description:
    White flowers with yellow centers blossom from early spring to late fall. Flowers have five petals and a cluster of pinkish white feathery plumes in summer. Flowers are borne at the tips of very dense, intertangled, twiggy, slender branches. Flowers produced either singly or a few together on a raceme.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Semi-evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Blue
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Velvety
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Margin:
    Lobed
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    Alternate, simple blue-green leaves are 2/3 of an inch long and 1/3 of an inch wide with 3 to 7 rounded lobes. The leaf is green and hairy with pale scaled on the undersides. Leaves produced in clusters closely and alternately along the twigs and covered all over with pale down.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Light Gray
    White
    Bark Description:
    light gray or whitish peeling bark
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Gray/Silver
    White
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Surface:
    Hairy (pubescent)
    Stem Description:
    Grayish-white, pubescent branches. Much branched below, more thinly above.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Slope/Bank
    Vertical Spaces
    Landscape Theme:
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Rock Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Mass Planting
    Specimen
    Attracts:
    Bees
    Small Mammals
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Dry Soil
    Erosion
    Poor Soil