Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Boykinia rotundifolia is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common name Roundleafed Brookfoam. It is endemic to southern California from Ventura to San Diego Counties, where it grows in shady forested areas near streams in the mountains below 6,000 ft. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing leaves with blades up to 30 centimeters long, borne on petioles up to 18 centimeters in length. Each leaf has several rounded lobes with dull teeth along the edges. The flower cluster reaches up to a meter tall on a thin stem. It bears a dense array of many small white flowers, each with five tiny pointed sepals and five larger oval petals.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

1 - 3 ft Tall
1 ft Wide

Dormancy

Summer Semi-deciduous

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Color

White

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Special uses

Groundcover

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

Moderate, High

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil drainage

Slow

Soil description

Tolerates a variety of soils as long as adequate moisture is present.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.5

Propagation

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones

4*, 5*, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Site type

Streambanks, seeps, and other damp locations

Plant communities

Chaparral, Wetland-Riparian

This plant is best used in a damp shade garden with similar plants such as Heuchera spp., ferns, Meadow Rue (Thalictrum spp.), and Western Dichondra (Dichondra occidentalis)