About Darmera peltata (Torr. ex Benth.) Voss
Darmera peltata, commonly called Indian rhubarb or umbrella plant, is a flowering plant. It is the only species in the genus Darmera, which belongs to the family Saxifragaceae. This species is a slowly spreading, rhizomatous perennial plant native to mountain streamsides in woodland habitats of the western United States, ranging from western Oregon to northwestern California. At maturity, it reaches 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall and spreads 1 m (3 ft 3 in) wide. The genus name Darmera honors Karl Darmer, a 19th-century German horticulturist. In late spring, flowers emerge before leaves develop. Flowers are arranged in rounded cymes, with numerous individual five-petalled flowers that range in color from white to bright pink. Each individual flower measures up to 1.5 cm across, and flowers are borne on stems that can grow as tall as 2 m. The leaves of Darmera peltata are peltate and rounded, and can grow up to 60 cm (24 in) both long and wide. They are deeply lobed, coarsely toothed, conspicuously veined and dark green, and grow from petioles that can reach up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height. In autumn, the leaves turn red. In cultivation, Darmera peltata grows well at pond margins and in bog gardens, where it forms a large, imposing umbrella-shaped clump. It is a good alternative for smaller gardens that do not have space for the distantly related, visually similar but much larger Gunnera manicata and Gunnera tinctoria. This species has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
