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Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth' (Elizabeth Bush Anemone) - An attractive much branched evergreen shrub that grows to 4 to 6 feet tall by 3 to 4 feet wide with vertically inclined gray stems that peal back annually to reveal new yellowish-tan bark. The 4- to 5-inch-long narrow lanceolate leaves are dark glossy green above with dense white hairs on the surface below and have slightly revolute leaf margins. In late spring to early summer at the branch tips appear the many flowered clusters of fragrant 2-inch-wide white flowers with bright yellow stamens; occasionally some flowers might be seen extending nearly into fall.
Plant in sun or light shade (requires shade in inland gardens) in a well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant once established but looks its best in an acidic organic amended soil with occasional to regular irrigation. It is cold hardy to about 20 degrees F. Bush Anemone is reported to be oak root fungus (Armillaria) resistant, but susceptible to aphids, particularly if plants are drought stressed, and this can disfigure the new growth of the plant. The bitter foliage is not attractive to deer so only gets browsed when they are desperate. The selection 'Elizabeth' is a cultivar that was selected because of its masses of smaller white flowers and more compact growth habit.
Carpenteria californica is endemic to a very limited range along the foothills of the western side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where it is often found in abundance on relatively moist north-facing slopes and in ravines. The plant was first discovered in 1845 during one of Captain Fremont's attempts to cross the Sierra Nevada from the west and described in 1953 from specimens collected by the preeminent American botanist Dr. John Torrey (1796-1873). The name honors William Marbury Carpenter (1811-1848), a noted Southern American botanist and physician. Because Fremont mistakenly thought he was in another watershed when he collected the plant, searchers could not find the plant again until it was rediscovered in 1876 near the town of Tollhouse along the toll road to Pine Ridge in Fresno County.
The cultivar 'Elizabeth' was discovered by the legendary bay area plantsman Wayne Roderick in 1971, who noted that he and a group of friends spent several days surveying all Carpenteria plants that they could get to and he then selected this one because it was "so different that it stood out far beyond the rest". He noted that the flowers were smaller than typical but that it had erect compact clusters holding over 20 flowers at the tips of each stem. Once brought into cultivation he further noted that the plant was more compact than the species and adapted itself well into cultivation. It was named for botanist Elizabeth McClintock (1912–2004), the longtime curator in the Department of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences. We have grown and sold this wonderful plant since 1996 and also grow the species Carpenteria californica.
This information about Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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