code: 793
found wild in just a few locations in the Southern Italian Alps
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Common name: Elizabeth Campion
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 20 cm
Maximum Height: 25 cm
Packet Content(approx.): 15 seeds
A lovely semi-evergreen perennial, with tufts of open, glossy-leafed rosettes, bearing unusually large dianthus-like flowers, which are dark reddish-purple, and borne in early summer. Native to screes, this rare plant is found wild in just a few locations in the Southern Italian Alps, between Lake Como and Lake Garda where it grows at altitudes from 1400 to 2450m. It was named in honour of Maria Elisabeth of Savoy-Carignan (1800-1856), the wife of Rainer of Austria (1783-1853), Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetiaso, the area in which the plant was first found. very few seeds collected.
Sowing advice:
Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.
