Plant Name

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Androsace vandellii

(Syn.
Androsace imbricata)

Androsace is the second largest genus in the Primulaceae, and is widely cultivated by horticulturists for its dense cushions covered in white or pink flowers. It is a predominantly Arctic-alpine genus with many species in the mountains of central Asia, the Caucasus, and the southern and central European mountain systems, particularly the Alps and the Pyrenees.

Common Name

Rock jasmine

Soil

Sharply drained sandy soil in vertical crevices in igneous (Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava) or non-calcareous (Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky) rock work or a dry wall.

Sun Aspect

Part Shade, but will tolerate Full Sun

Soil Moisture

Dry

Plant Type / Alpine/Alpine

Evergreen Perennial/ Alpine

Height x Spread in feet

2 inches x 4 inches

Evergreen Foliage

Light Green Foliage rosettes 0.2-0.4 inches wide, densely starry hairy giving them a silvery appearance.

Flower Colour in Month(s). Seed

Cushions of 02-0.33 inchs in diameter 5-petalled white flowers with a yellow eye, short stalked, 1-3 per foliage rosette in April

Comment

A tightly cushion-forming species up to 6 inches across. Native from the Alps, Apennines, Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada (Spain) and Atlas Mountains above 2000 metres, in non-calcareous or igneous rock fissures, often in shaded sites but also stands full exposure. In its early years a relatively easy and popular species which can be grown outside in vertical crevices, or a scree bed, ideally with winter rain protection using a sheet of glass.

The easy to grow species are ideal for the rock garden and raised bed (Rock Garden FAQS). High alpine species need vertical crevices in rock work, a dry wall or scree bed conditions. Some also grow well in holes drilled in tufa rock.
Androsaces in cultivation enjoy small fissures between stones, firmly packed with pure sandy peat, or very sandy or gritty loam, not less than 15 inches deep. They should be so placed that no wet can gather or lie about them, and so planted in between stones that, once well rooted into the deep earth—all the better if mingled with pieces of broken sandstone—they never suffer from drought. It is easy to arrange rocks and soils so that, once the mass below is thoroughly moistened, ordinary drought has little effect.
Many species make excellent, if demanding pot plants for the alpine house. All species need sharply drained soil and a site in full sun or part shade. Cushion-forming species in the alpine house need good ventilation and very litle water in winter. Any dead shoots must be removed as soon as possible and there is a lot to be said for the routine application of a fungicide. Aphids can be a serious problem (hidden in the heart of the cushion) and a systemic insecticide is required.

Androsace World aims to exhibit a photograph of every known species of Androsace.

The Androsace Group is a specialist group of the Alpine Garden Society and aims to circulate information on the cultivation and naming of androsaces and on their ecology and status in the wild. It also aims to investigate the problems of preserving species and hybrids in cultivation and to take what steps it can to ensure such preservation. Publications dealing with Androsace from the Androsace Group, Scottish Rock Garden Group and the Alpine Garden Society.

Available from Kevock Garden Plants and Greenfingers.

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