Beesia calthifolia

Very cute, but what's a beesia? Imagine taking an asarum and gluing tiny cimicifuga flowers on top and you've got the idea. This little-known evergreen cimicifuga relative hails from moist meadows and woodlands in the southwestern Chinese provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Yunnan. The 8" tall x 1' wide rosettes of Beesia calthifolia are composed of dark, glossy green (maroon in winter), heart-shaped leaves, each highlighted by attractive lighter veins. Beesia calthifolia clumps are topped in spring with slender 10" tall purple spikes adorned with tiny white flowers...not for the pansy crowd. We have found beesia very easy to grow in slightly moist, rich woodland soil.