Rhodiola integrifolia

[Lori S.]

Hi, Todd.  No, it seems R. rosea doesn't occur in the Rockies; here's the distribution of R. rosea , according to USDA Plants:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=rhodiola+rosea&mode=sciname&submit.x=11&submit.y=7

(The distribution of R. integrifolia is shown earlier also in this thread.)
I was mixed up between the two (R. rosea and R. integrifolia) until quite recently... given the number of name changes these two species have undergone, it's no wonder!

[Todd Boland]

Looks like I have to update my Rockies plant pics!

[Kelaidis]

Technically, everything in Colorado should be "integrifolia" but most of the Rhodiolas in the southern part of the state have yellow flowers and look an awful lot like rosea: I think these are basically topotypes and closely allied. I grew a magnificent form of rosea under the rubric of Rhodiola "arctica" that looked more or less the same as what Todd showed: and they all look very much like the roseas from Central Asia I show below. I don't think I have put most of these on NARGS although some of you may have seen them on one of my various cloud repositories for pix that I'm using trying to figure out what to do with the thousands of pictures I take...sound familiar? I start off with two rosea from the Altai mountains of Mongolia (within a few hours march of both China and Russia--in that very corner of Mongolia where their highest mountains are)...the first the common form, the second a sort of monstruouse form. I follow up with a much higher altitude species from cold screes that is not likely to be hardy...the first shot of Rhodiola marginata is of a tiny specimen found growing along a gravelly riverbank far below its preferedc altitude (hence rather stunted) the second a more typical husky clump from high up. Next is is red cousin from the Tian Shan above Almaty: Rhodiola coccinea is stunning and also probably impossible in the garden. And the last few shots are of the gorgeous orange Rhodiola linearifolia I grew for many years in an ordinary scree: this is the gem of Rhodiolas for gardens, I believe...and we have a lot of seed sown this spring...I hope this is one we can introduce soon.

[McDonough]

Panayoti, these beauties fire up the imagination, I love the red and orange tones, let's hope that DGB or Plant Select gets Rhodiola linearifolia established in cultivation. In my dreams I grow R. coccinea

Once again a sunny but cold wintery day, I put my google goggles on, strapped myself in my turbo-charged armchair, and took a spin to China looking for more Rhodiola species.  The flora of China lists 55 species, about a dozen and a half subtaxa, with 16 species endemic to China.  I saved you all about 2 hours of clicking on every species, to harvest links to images buried within the species descriptions.  There are also some very nice line drawings.  

Flora of China:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=128370

Rhodiola alsia
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88988&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88991&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88990&flora_id=800

R. bupleuroides
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88993&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88994&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88995&flora_id=800

R. crenulata
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=52298&flora_id=2
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=52299&flora_id=2
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88996&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89000&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89002&flora_id=800

R. kirilowii
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89011&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89013&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89014&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=105101&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=105108&flora_id=800

R. macrocarpa:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89015&flora_id=800

R. nobilis
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89016&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89017&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89021&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89019&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89020&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89022&flora_id=800
pink: http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=89024&flora_id=800


Line drawings:
1.  R. smithii, R. prainii, R. staphii (look at the mega carrot root on R. smithii)
    http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=44107&flora_id=2

2.  R. hobsonii, R. humilis, Sinocrassula densirosulata, S. techinensis
    http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=44100&flora_id=2

3.  R. primuloides, R. fastigiata, R. pamiroalaica, R. litwinowii
    http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=44105&flora_id=2

4.  R. alsia, R. kirilowii, R. bupleuroides
    http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=44089&flora_id=2

5.  R. gelida, R. quadrifida, R. subopposita, R. tibetica
    http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=44097&flora_id=2

6.  R. yunnanensis, R. chrysanthemifolia, R. liciae
    http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=44103&flora_id=2


Rhodiola linearifolia, from Ornamental Plants from Russia
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=47946&flora_id=120

[Hoy]

Mark, thank you very much for doing the time consuming work (albeit a little exciting maybe?)
Panayoti, I knew the existence of some of those Rhodiolas but thank you for showing! However, you give me a problem: Now I want to grow them!

[RickR]

Mark, I also appreciate your gleanings.   We all benefit from these extra efforts.

And, I to grow R. coccinea in my dreams!

[Todd Boland]

PK, that rosea form from Mongolia is striking..and I am rather fond of the marginata...coccinea is the stuff of dreams!  Rhodiola have not been given the attention they deserve.

[cohan]

Lots of beauties! I've looked at the many Rhodiolas on the Czech seed lists, but not tried any yet..
I'd love to get seed from Alberta forms, but seems impossible unless I run into them myself- though I can easily get Asians and U.S. forms sold by Alplains!

Lori, in your first set of pics of integrifolia, the second last photo- what are the leaves behind against the rock, Dryas?

[Lori S.]

Yes, probably Dryas octopetala from what I can make out on this laptop.

[cohan]

Thanks- that gives a sense of the scale!