Description
The Partridge foot is a beautiful prostrate, mat forming sub-shrub growing from a rhizome (stoloniferous), with particular fan shaped leaves disposed in rosettes (Saxifraga-like look) and white-cream flowers on short stems.
In full sun it turns red, also the flowering stems/fruits take a red color before maturation, enhancing its appeal.
It is the only species of the genus Luetkea, endemic to Western North America and can common in some locations, but one has to climb to the subalpine and alpine levels to see it. Unless seen in flower, you wouldn’t say the Partridgefoot is related to Spiraea, would you?
Challenging to grow in cultivation, but worth trying it. We have to keep in mind and try to provide it with similar conditions found in its wild habitat – see the Growing conditions.
Germination: according with various sources it is a warm germinator; probably the difficulty lays in maintaining the seedlings alive. Use a very porous mix by adding perlite to the sowing mix, and keep evenly moist (when the seedlings are tiny, enclosing the pot in a Ziploc partly open helps). A germination protocol and complete plant portrait: Luetkea pectinata plant portrait.
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