canary island dandelion tree

[philip kitts]

I have 3 small plants of sonchus palmensis but there is very little cultivation tips available and hardiness is sketchy the provinance was 1000m above sea level does anyone else grow it?, i,m tempted to plant one out this year
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... is_001.JPG

[stephenprudence]

Never heard of this before, It literally is a dandelion on a trunk.. Is it actually related to Dandelions, or is this a similar looking foliage plant (albeit much larger)? I suspect because it has a caudiforum trunk, it wouldn't be able take much wet, even if it did have the hardiness outside?

[philip kitts]

its actually a type of sow thistle and grows in the cloud forest on the mountain tops ,it is a relic of the ice age and once grew all over Europe. im hoping it is at least as hardy as echium pinnianna which grows in the same
" monteverde" forest

[derrick]

Looks half fern half Dandelion. It attracts Bees also .Looks like tortoise food to me .

[Nigel Fear]

I have 3 small plants of sonchus palmensis but there is very little cultivation tips available and hardiness is sketchy the provinance was 1000m above sea level does anyone else grow it?, i,m tempted to plant one out this year
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... is_001.JPG

Hi Phil, Hows things?

I know a couple of people on G.O.T.E. have tried it, including Paul Spracklin, who lives up the road from you in South Benfleet. Also, Chad I think.

[philip kitts]

I have 3 small plants of sonchus palmensis but there is very little cultivation tips available and hardiness is sketchy the provinance was 1000m above sea level does anyone else grow it?, i,m tempted to plant one out this year
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... is_001.JPG

Hi Phil, Hows things?

I know a couple of people on G.O.T.E. have tried it, including Paul Spracklin, who lives up the road from you in South Benfleet. Also, Chad I think.

hi nigel things are good I moved last august just round the corner im now planning my new garden which is a mud bath at the moment. everything survived the move except m trex . I may have to seek out paul and see how he did with it thanks

[Conifers]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... is_001.JPG

To see the plant better:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... is_001.JPG

[philip kitts]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... is_001.JPG

To see the plant better:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... is_001.JPG

Thankyou conifers it really is a majestic plant when it reaches maturity

[jungle jas]

I saw this plant last year in the Canaries, up in the misty mountain tops in La Gomera ( not sure if the spelling is correct.), It felt cold and I needed a coat on! I dont know if it takes a frost? Looks worth trying though. I tried to find seed, but was unsuccessful.

EDIT I've just been reading it will only go down to 10c, so no good where I live.

[philip kitts]

I have been looking at old posts (thanks for the heads up Nigel) it seems they can come back from -3/-4c but have all but disappeared from cultivation since 2010. As there are about five species each from differant islands they may have varying degrees of hardiness tenerife and lapalma often have frost and snow on the peaks ,the calderas rim on both islands have an average temp of 4c in jan. so I may just have to bite the bullet and experiment

[Chad]

This post might be of interest.

How sure are you which of the Sonchus [Dendrosonchus] you actually have?

The Rare Plants catalogue lists a good range, and their hardiness ratings are very conservative. So far I have found S.fruticosus to be the most hardy, and Paul Spraklin tells me it is a returning perennial with him in Essex if winter frost kills the top growth. In Cornwall it had grown old and woody over several years so when it was knocked back by a hard frost it died. Leaves wilt at about -5C and the whole thing went at -12C [that 'once in a century' hard spell we had before the next two bad winters were similar!].

I haven't grown S.palmensis yet. I'm trying S.leptocephalus this year from seed.

Chad.

[philip kitts]

Hi chad thanks for the link it was really helpful. I'm pretty sure it's palmensis or possibly hierriensis, it has a red flush to the new growth with slight red spotting on the older leaves they are about 6 months old and are just starting grow upwards rather than rosette like. Do they grow much in one season or is it a slow process.?

[call]

plantbase has s. fruticosa

[Chad]

Do they grow much in one season or is it a slow process.?

They are not slow at all. They stop growing below about 5C and if it goes over about 20C [not a problem in Cornwall!]; so they grow more through the winter than the summer if the summer is warm or they are under cover. About 1M a year from seed, and more if they are a mature plant cut back and re-growing form the roots.

I'm planting seed this week and hope to have seedlings large enough to sell for a charity do on 1st of June [at Tom Hudson's Tregrehan.

Chad.

[philip kitts]

Ah I understand now why the specimen the seed came from was shrivelled to a crisp ,in August last year .they don't like high temps do you treat them like brugmansia and fushia then?
I'd love to get down to Cornwall again sometime no chance this year though Good luck with your seeds