Green-and-gold is a hardy, low-growing, long-blooming herbaceous perennial found along woodland edges and clearings on the East coast from New York south to Florida and west to Louisiana. With attractive, semi-evergreen foliage, bright yellow 1.5-inch star-like flowers on fuzzy stalks for much of the growing season, and an unfussy attitude about soils (as long as they are well drained), Green-and-Gold is considered a work horse in the native garden. Wiith sufficient even moisture, it can take full sun but prefers protection, especially in the afternoon, and grows best in dappled or morning sun. Leaves are opposite, oval and softly pubescent with a crenate (round-toothed) margin. Flowering peaks in May, decreasing in the heat of summer and then flowering again late in the season. There are 3 forms of this plant (see “Habit”). This one, the natural variety C. virginianum virginianum is the most northerly of these three forms. Twelve to fourteen inches in height, it is considered a groundcover if planted closely, but this form is upright, not stoloniferous. It spreads by seeds, though offsets are easily divided for transplant. The USDA plant distribution map linked below is for virginianum.
