Apache Plume

Frost Tolerance: Hardy in Phoenix

Heat Tolerance: Better without afternoon sun in the hot desert

Sun Exposure: Light shade to full sun

Origin: USA (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas)

Growth Habits: Semi-evergreen shrub, 3 to 8 feet tall (1-2.5 m), 3 to 6 feet spread (1-2 m); peeling bark; small branches covered with gray wool; dark green leaves, 0.5 inch long (12 mm), 0.25 inch wide (6 mm), with rust-colored underside, 3 to 7 lobes

Watering Needs: Little water once established

Propagation: Seeds, spreads by underground woody rhizomes

Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa) U.S.D.A. Forest Service Collection, Courtesy of the Hunt Institute

The Fallugia is named for the seventeenth century Italian botanist Virgilio Fallugi.

Blooming Habits:
Large, delicate, white, 5-petaled, roselike flowers borne singly or in small groups on elongate peduncles, in late spring to early summer, and occasionally in autumn. They are followed by showy, feathery fruits.

Culture:
The Apache plume tends to look messy and should be pruned once or twice a year. If it has too much dead wood, it can even be cut down to the ground..