Epimedium illicifolium

Holly-leaved Barrenwort Berberidaceae

A wonderfully spiny Epimedium that looks as though it has been crossed with a holly bush and then sent to charm school. Epimedium illicifolium is a compact evergreen species from Shaanxi, China, with three narrow leaflets armed with distinctly holly-like spiny margins. It was collected by Darrell Probst above the snowline at around 5,000ft, and introduced as Cc 001497. The collection is also recorded as PDN001 in cultivation. 

From late March into spring, upright flowering stems carry generous sprays of unusual, spider-like yellow flowers, each with long yellow spurs surrounding a contrasting chartreuse centre. The combination of fiercely spiny foliage and rather delicate flowers is wonderfully eccentric.

Short-rhizomed and compact, it makes a neat clump rather than wandering through the border. Best in partial shade and humus-rich, well-drained soil, though it is surprisingly tolerant of dry shade once established.

Height: 30–45cm
Spread: 40–50cm
Flowering: March–April
Foliage: Evergreen
Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)