Download These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only. STEPPE

STEPPE COLLECTION
Panayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator and Director of Outreach; Leesly Leon, Docent Coordinator, November 2013
Description
Plants in the collection come from the steppe biome which is a dry, cold, grassland found in all of the continents
except Australia and Antarctica. It is mostly found in the USA, Mongolia, Siberia, Tibet and China. Steppe regions are
located away from the ocean and close to mountain barriers and therefore have low humidity.
The collection is divided in the following sub-collections:
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Asian Steppe: plants which are naturally occurring in the vast central region of the Asian continent.
South American Steppe: plants which are naturally occurring in very small areas of South America (very few in
our collection).
African Steppe: plants which are naturally occurring in very small areas of Africa, predominantly South Africa
(few in collection).
North American Steppe: plants which are naturally occurring in a large central area of North America.
History of the Collection
The Steppe Collection finds its origins in the Rock Alpine Garden where, up until the advent of the WaterSmart
Garden, it was the only garden where visitors could find exogenous (non-native) steppe plants within Denver Botanic
Gardens. It was here where successful steppe plants were tested, while the concept of the Watersmart® Garden, in
1994, led to the increase in use of Asian and Southern Hemisphere steppe plants. Native steppe collections also
found expression in the Plains and Dryland Mesa Gardens, developed in the late 1980’s.
The Plant Asia Garden designed by Gardens staff and constructed in 2001-2002 includes a section where drought
tolerant plants from the Asian steppe are showcased.
These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only.
STEPPE COLLECTION 1
Relevance
There are four major areas of the world with a very similar climate to that of the North American steppe, including
short grass and shrub steppe in Colorado. The high shrublands and grasslands of the steppe regions of the world
share Denver’s temperate, semi-arid climate. Many beautiful and unusual Asian, African and South American plants
are ideal candidates for a Rocky Mountain garden. Since steppe plants have evolved in climates with intense sun year
around, they often have much more persistent, wintergreen foliage that adds color to our long “dormant” season.
Collection Facts
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Both the high, dry steppes of Asia and the high, dry steppes of N. America (which is where Denver is located)
are located on a plateau and have many of the same genera.
The steppe collection is the only one of its kind in North America, making a visit to Denver Botanic Gardens
unique.
Steppe Climate Facts
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Steppe areas are defined as semi-arid grasslands that receive 10-20” of rain each year.
Steppe areas are treeless and make up 15% of the Earth’s surface.
The term steppe comes from the Russian word which means flat, arid land and denotes the climate too dry to
support a forest but not dry enough to be a desert.
These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only.
STEPPE COLLECTION 2
WATER-SMART GARDEN®
Silver Horehound
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Scientific name: Marrubium incanum
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint)
Native range: Italy, Sicily, Balkans
Marrubium is a genus of some 40 species of perennials from the Mediterranean
Europe and temperate Asia which are predominately found in sunny, rocky, and
dry wasteland.
Their two lipped flowers are borne in auxiliary whorls where they bloom during
the summer season.
Variegated Statice
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Scientific name: Bukiniczia cabulica
Family: Plumbaginaceae (Leadwort)
Native range: Pakistan, Afghanistan
The blue-green leaves with white veins form a rosette up to 6 ± inches in
diameter.
A biennial, producing a 14 ± inch inflorescence with tiny nondescript
whitish/pink flowers in its second year.
A prolific seeder - within a few years one is likely to see baby B. cabulicas all about the garden.
Good plant for rock gardens.
The specific name, cabulica suggests a possible tie to the Kabul, Afghanistan region.
Skullcap
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Scientific name: Scuttelaria orientalis
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint)
Native range: Russia
Genus is widespread in temperate regions and on tropical mountains.
Most are annual or perennial herbaceous plants from 5 cm to 1 m tall, but a
few are subshrubs (a woody perennial plant - distinguished from a shrub by its
ground-hugging stems and lower height).
Photo by Panayoti Kelaidis
They have square stems and opposite leaves (characteristic of the mint family).
The flowers have upper and lower lips.
The genus is most easily recognized by the typical shield on the calyx that has also prompted its common name.
These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only.
STEPPE COLLECTION 3
PLANTASIA GARDEN
Turkish Veronica
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Scientific name: Veronica liwanensis
Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort)
Native range: Turkey
1997 Plant Select® winner.
Sturdy groundcover with waxy, succulent - like, teardrop - shaped leaves.
Evergreen Xeriscape, perennial plant.
Cobalt blue flowers (blooms April - June in Colorado).
Veronica liwanensis can be used like thyme to create a ground cover “lawn.”
With a little extra water, Veronica liwanensis re-blooms lightly later in summer.
Needs afternoon shade in hot summer climates.
Great ground cover at the base of evergreens where it still gets some sun.
Iberis taurica
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Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard)
Native range: Asia Minor
Flowers are white/lilac tinged.
Forms cushions of rubbery, dark burgundy-green leaves.
Annual or biennial.
Tulip ‘Red Riding Hood’
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Scientific name: Tulipa greigii ‘Red Riding Hood’
Family: Liliaceae (Lily)
Native range: Cultivated
Tulipa greigii ‘Red Riding Hood’ has very bright red flowers with a black heart.
Foliage is streaked with purple stripes.
Low growing so they should be planted in the front of a garden bed.
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun.
Good for rock gardens and beds, border fronts or around trees or shrubs.
www.mobot.org
Vvendensky's Tulip; Tulip
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Scientific name: Tulipa vvedenskyi 'Tangerine Beauty'
Family: Liliaceae (Lily)
Native range: Central Asia
Striking tulip species with bright scarlet-orange flowers.
One of the hallmarks of this species is the wonderful undulate foliage.
These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only.
STEPPE COLLECTION 4
Turkestan Onion
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Scientific name: Allium karataviense
Family: Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis)
Native range: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
Found on mountain slopes. Sunny places but it also tolerates shaded locations.
The leaves are tongue shaped and green with a width of 10 cm and a length of
30 cm.
Flowers are growing on a central stem with a height of 30 cm.
Up to 40 flowers can be found on one stem.
Color can very between pink and white (the color gets paler with time).
Photo by Anna Russo
Spike Thrift or Prickly Dianthus
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Scientific name: Acantholimon hohenackeri
Family: Plumbaginaceae (Leadwort)
Native range: Caucasus, Iran
Mounded blue-gray foliage with very prickly needle-like leaves
Pink flowers.
Prefers well-drained soil.
Acantholimons were used as a source of fuel.
Persian Stonecress
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Scientific name: Aethionema grandiflorum
Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard)
Native range: Iran, Iraq, Caucasia
A small genus of plants native to the Mediterranean, Europe and southwest Asia
with flowers in crowded terminal racemes - a flower cluster inflorescence in which
the flowers are borne on short stalks along a long main stem.
Narrow-leaved Foxtail Lily
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Scientific name: Eremurus stenophyllus
Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae (Grasstree)
Native range: Central Asia to W. Pakistan
Spikes of dense 4 cm golden yellow, star-shaped flowers begin opening
at the bottom of the spike first and slowly bloom to the top.
Like shelter and warmth, especially after flowering.
The leaves appear early in wide clumps, and start to die down just as the
flower spikes appear.
The foxtail lily is hardy and prefers a sandy, well-drained soil.
These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only.
Photo by Panayoti Kelaidis
STEPPE COLLECTION 5
ROCK ALPINE GARDEN
Fringed Wormwood or Fringed Sage
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Scientific name: Artemisia frigida
Family: Asteraceae (Aster)
Native range: SE & E. Russian Federation, N. America
Perennial.
The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are
pollinated by wind.
Prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can
grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline)
soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate
drought.
Photo by Anna Russo
frigida = cold; rigida = rigid
The leaves were used by the Hopi Indians as a flavoring for sweet corn.
An infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of indigestion; coughs and colds
(chew the leaves and drink the juice to treat heartburn).
Leaves are also placed in the nose to stop nosebleeds.
Tea made from the leaves is used to relieve menstrual pain and discomfort.
Both the growing and the dried plant can be used as an insect repellent.
Salvia pisidica (on the moraine mound)
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Family: Lamiaceae (Mint)
Native range: Turkey
In Turkey it grows on dry limestone slopes.
Here it needs a very well-drained soil, good for rock gardens.
Maximum height is about 9 inches, with a spread of up to 2 ft.
Grey-green leaves contrast well with the striped blue and white flowers.
It can be propagated by cuttings which can be slow to root, or from seed which can be slow to germinate.
Stipa ucrainica (in the lower meadow)
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Family: Poaceae (Grass)
Native range: S. Russia, Turkmenistan
Displays beautiful seed heads
These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only.
STEPPE COLLECTION 6
SOUTH AFRICAN PLAZA GARDEN
Berkheya montana
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Family: Asteraceae (Aster)
Native Range: South Africa
The plant looks a thistle – some consider it as such – but it displays a beautiful
flower
Ruschia putterillii
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Family: Aizoaceae (Fig-Marigold)
Native range: South Africa
Suitable for growing in containers
Drought tolerant
It looks like an ice plant but it is shrubby
Photo by Panayoti Kelaidis
Kangaroo Grass
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Scientific name: Themeda triandra
Family: Poaceae (Grass)
Front range: Old World Tropics & Subtropics: [ native to
India, Korea, China, and Japan (1849)]
This is a lovely green to blue-green, tufted grass that is
often flushed with pink and turns red with age. Some
forms have bright yellow culms (stems).
Plants from higher altitudes tend to be shorter and dark
purple, whereas, at lower altitudes, plants are often lighter
coloured and flushed only with purple.
Seeds for the plant in this garden was collected by Dan Johnson, Curator of Native Plants at DBG
These materials are for Denver Botanic Gardens use only.
STEPPE COLLECTION 7