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Saxifragaceae
Fringecups
Tellima grandiflora
Subtle elegance and forest patience.
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
- Genus
- Tellima
- Native to
- western North America
- Bloom season
- Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 40–80 cm
- Sunlight
- part to full shade
- Soil
- moist, humus-rich
- Water
- medium
- Hardiness
- 4–8
- Lifespan
- long-lived perennial; self-seeds
Did you know
- Each tiny cup-shaped flower has a fringe of finely cut petals, like a paper doll's lace.
- Flowers open white but blush pink as they age — a single spike can carry both shades at once.
- It is a stalwart of damp Pacific Northwest rainforests from California up to Alaska.
- The genus name 'Tellima' is an anagram of 'Mitella', a closely related woodland genus.
- In dry shade gardens, fringecups outcompete most weeds without becoming aggressive themselves.
Color meanings
White
quiet beauty
Pink
blushing modesty
Green
woodland grace