Fallugia Paradoxa

( fahl - OO - jee - uh      pair - ah - DOCKS - uh)

At-A-Glance Information

This shrub is also called Apache Plume or Ponil and requires full sun and little water. It  is native to California deserts, the southwestern United States, and Mexico, reaching 4-6 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Bark is yellow-gray and flaky, leaves are dark green, and flowers resemble white roses. Feathery seed heads follow flowers, starting out green and turning reddish when mature. Grows best in zones 2-23 (to find your zone, click here: Zone Map). This species is alone in its genus, Fallugia, which is a member of the plant family Rosaceae.

Caring for and pruning fallugia Paradoxa shrubs

Grow Apache Plume in partial shade in gravelly, sandy soils. These plants love excellent drainage. These plants are considered easy-care plants, though they will aggressively seed in optimal growth conditions. Water weekly until these plants get an established root system. Apache Plume does not need regular prunings, and does not normally need water except for monthly deep waterings in the hottest summer months once established. To prune to rejuvenate, cut back the entire plant to 1/3 its size in late wintertime. In spring before new growth appears, it is a good practice to apply a balanced 10-10-10 slow-release fertilizer to encourage more vigorous growth.​

Propagation

Apache Plume can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Fallugia paradoxa by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
  2. In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots. 
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Fallugia paradoxa by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows. 
  2. Harvest your seeds. The seed pods on Apache Plume plants are pretty easy to spot, they have fluffy tentacle-like attachments (see the photos below). They will be ready to harvest in late summer or fall. Remove them from the shrub and place them in a paper bag in a cool, dark place. They will continue to ripen, and eventually remove themselves from their pods. 
  3. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  4. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
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Fallugia paradoxa seeds are contained in fluffy seed heads.
Apache Plume seeds.

Problems and Pests

Apache Plume doesn't suffer from many pest or disease issues. 
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Gallery

Apache Plume shrubs have interesting, fluffy seed pods.
The pinkish plumes of Fallugia paradoxa 
Apache Plume in a mixed bed planting with other low-water use plants.

Videos

All about Apache Plume.
Apache Plume in its native habitat.

Resources

How to Grow Apache Plume
Plant Database: Fallugia paradoxa (Apache Plume)
Wikipedia: Fallugia
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 318, Fallugia Paradoxa
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!
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