Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Share

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:
Dryas drummondii (Drummond's mountain-avens)
Weyand, Phyllis

Dryas drummondii

Dryas drummondii Richardson ex Hook.

Drummond's Mountain-avens, Yellow Mountain-avens, Yellow Dryas

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: DRDR

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N)

This slow-growing perennial forms mats up to 3 ft. wide and 9 in. tall. The mats appear to be a mass of oval, leathery leaves with rounded teeth. The leaves remain dark green during winter but deteriorate rapidly as new leaves are produced in spring. Single, yellow flowers are borne atop 2-8 in. stems. The petals ascend, rather than spread, in flower; the result is that the flowers never seem to fully open. Summer fruits are fluffy and feathery.

The species name of this plant is named for Thomas Drummond, (ca. 1790-1835), naturalist, born in Scotland, around 1790. In 1830 he made a trip to America to collect specimens from the western and southern United States. In March, 1833, he arrived at Velasco, Texas to begin his collecting work in that area. He spent twenty-one months working the area between Galveston Island and the Edwards Plateau, especially along the Brazos, Colorado, and Guadalupe rivers. His collections were the first made in Texas that were extensively distributed among the museums and scientific institutions of the world. He collected 750 species of plants and 150 specimens of birds. Drummond had hoped to make a complete botanical survey of Texas, but he died in Havana, Cuba, in 1835, while making a collecting tour of that island.

 

From the Image Gallery

2 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Fruit Type: Achene , Aggregate
Size Notes: Up to about 9 inches tall.
Leaf: Green
Fruit: Aggregated achenes.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AK , ID , MT , OR , WA
Canada: BC
Native Distribution: AK, s. to all but s.w. B.C.; Rockies to MT; Pend Oreille Co., WA; Wallowa Co., OR; scattered e. in Canada
Native Habitat: High mt. rocky ridges, talus slopes & stream banks; occasion on gravel bars of foothills

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils.

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Propagation

Description: Mountain dryas can be propagated by seed or root divisions. Make divisions in early spring. Seeds are slow and not too sure.
Seed Treatment: Cold, moist stratification for several months substantially increases germination.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FACU FACU FACU
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Dryas drummondii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Dryas drummondii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Dryas drummondii

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-07
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back