Apache Plume

Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa)

By: Anne Farber

Native to Santa Fe and a broad expanse of the Southwest, apache plume has many attractive features: interesting color and texture, adaptability to a range of soils, and low water needs. A member of the Rose family, it has a long bloom time, with showy single white flowers and feathery pink seed plumes that are present from spring through summer. The plant’s common name is said to come from these seed heads, which resemble feather war bonnets. Native Americans used the plant for medicinal purposes, as well as for tools.Planting and care:Apache plume grows in difficult conditions, including dry, gravelly soils and limestone-based soils; it also tolerates clay and caliche soils. Once established, it requires minimal irrigation. It does respond to rain showers and periodic deep watering with spurts of growth, additional flowering, and seed-plume production.In pampered garden conditions, with rich soil and regular irrigation, apache plume can become sprawling and aggressive. It produces a prolific number of seeds, and the plumes aid in their dispersion. Furthermore, rich conditions promote root sprouting around the shrub; these suckers need to be removed to keep the plant under control. Therefore it is best grown in unamended soil and treated with benign neglect. To reinvigorate the plant, cut the oldest woody stems to the ground in early spring.Landscape use:Apache plume can provide erosion control on slopes by slowing water flow and decreasing the loss of silt. The plant binds the soil through its shallow root system and its deep woody roots. Effective as a single specimen, it can also be used for screening or as a hedge. For a stunning glow, place the shrubs so they are backlit at sunrise or sunset. Native bees, beetles, and butterflies visit and pollinate the plant, which also provides cover and seeds for birds, including grouse. Resistant to rabbits and deer.Propagation:Transplant root sprouts in late winter to early spring. Pre-chill seeds in moist conditions for two to three months and sow in early spring.Plant type:deciduous shrubBloom time:spring–summerBloom color:whiteSize:3–5 feet high x 4–6 feet wideSun:full sun/part shadeWater:lowUSDA Zones:4–9References:Phillips, Judith. Plants for Natural Gardens(Museum of New Mexico, 1995)Carter, Jack L., Martha A. Carter, and Donna J. Stevens. Common Southwestern Native Plants: An Identification Guide, 2nd ed. (Mimbres, 2009)Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plant Database, Fallugia paradoxa