5.2 Perennials

42 PERENNIALS
Aurina saxatilis (L) Desv.
(syn. Alyssum saxatile L.; A. orientale Ard.; A. arduini Fritcsh)
basket of gold, rock madwort, goldentuft, corbeille d'or
per. -37° to -29° C May 30 cm (N?)P
Value for honey: opinions differ about attractiveness to honeybees for N 35 ;
infrequently visited in the author's 5garden (U.K.).
Value for pollen: attractive for P 3'.
Notes: used in rock gardens for the show of bright yellow flowers; attractive bluish
green leaves.
Baptisia australis (L.) R. Br.
blue false indigo, plains false indigo, wild blue indigo
per. -59° to -29° C May-Jun 90-120 cm
Value for honey: has proven very attractive in the Pellett Test Garden 72 .
Notes: pea-like blue flowers and rich bluish green foliage; clumps of this can make an
attractive summer-time hedge 95 ; found naturally in rich woods and alluvial thickets 23 .
Baptisia tinctoria (L.) Venten.
wild indigo, yellow indigo, horsefly weed, rattleweed, baptiste des teinturiers
per. -23° to -21° C Jul 100-120 cm
Value for honey: said to yield well under all conditions; N flow may be intense 72 .
Honey: light amber in colour, flavour is pleasant and characteristic.
Notes: yellow pea-like flowers; requires little care, and can survive droughty
conditions 95 ; a dye plant.
Caltha palustris L.
marsh marigold, cowslip, may blob, souci d'eau, populage
per. -37° to -29° C Apr 30-90 cm NP
Value for pollen: noted to be an important source of P in the Maritime provinces; also
reported to be toxic to honeybees on occasion, probably due to alkaloids in the P 7 ; see
Section 10.
Notes: grows in areas which are wet in the spring but become dry later in the summer,
dies to the ground after flowering; flowers resemble buttercups; herbage sometimes used
as a pot-herb; found in swamps, wet meadows and wet woods, Lab. to Alaska, s. to
Nfld., N.S. and S. beyond Can. limits 23 .
Camassia Lindl.
camass, camas, quamash
per. (bulb) -23° to -21° C May-Jun NP 36
Value for honey and pollen: attractive to honeybees 35 ; C. cusickii S. Wats. (Cusick
camas); C. quamash (Pursh) Greene (common camas); and C. scilloides (Raf.) V.L.
Cory (wild hyacinth, indigo squill) are all noted to be freely visited by honeybees 35.72 .
Notes: useful for naturalizing in heavy moist soil; found in low fields, open woods and
meadow, s. Ont., se. Mich., s. Wisc. and beyond Can. range 23 .
Campanula carpatica Jacq.
Carpathian bellflower, tussock bellflower, campanule des Carpathes
per. -37° to -29° C Jun-Sep 15-45 cm NP 36
Value for honey: vigorously worked for N on occasion 35 .
Notes: spreads, but is not weedy; sun or part shade.