Queen’s Albaques (Sarcocapnos enneaphylla)

The Sarcocapnos enneaphylla is a perennial plant, ie, who lives several years, perfect to take low maintenance gardens even though they have a very stony ground.

Its leaves, although small, are in a very decorative way, not to mention its beautiful flowers. If we add to that that it grows fast and is easily multiplied by seeds, we will already have a most interesting plant for our particular green paradise.

Origin and characteristics

It is a lively more or less creeping native of southern Europe, also found in the Iberian Peninsula. It is popularly known as queen’s albaques, Lucia’s herb, matapiejos, Virgin’s shoes, or lice. It reaches a height of about 30 centimeters, or 35cm maximum, with flexible stems and tussocks.

The leaves are petiolate, composed of heart-shaped leaflets and pointed at the end. The flowers bloom in spring, and are white or yellowish, with a purple tip. The fruit is elongated and ripens in summer/ autumn.

What are their cares?

Having such a plant in a garden can always be a source of joy: it is beautiful, easy to care for, and it also attracts beneficial insects such as bees. So if you want to know what their needs are, here you go:

Location: outside, in full sun.
Land:
- Pot: universal growing substrate mixed with 30% perlite.
- Garden: prefers limestone soils, and lives well in stony ones.
Irrigation: 3-4 times a week in summer, and 1-2/ week the rest of the seasons.
Subscriber: from the beginning of spring to the end of summer you can pay it with homemade fertilizers, like the ones we show here.
Multiplication: by seeds in summer/ autumn or spring. Sow them in a seedbed with plant substrate, outside.
Rusticity: it resists freezes down to -6ºC.