Chiastophyllum oppositifolium Variegatum

Chiastophyllum oppositifolium 'Variegatum', also known as Variegated Gold Drop, is a fleshy, spreading, evergreen perennial succulent plant with beautiful bluish-green foliage broadly edged with cream. In late spring and summer it is adorned with trailing clusters of small yellow flowers. It is native to the mountains of the Caucasus, thriving in shade and coolness, which is not apparent from its succulent foliage. This very bright plant is valuable for cool and shaded rock gardens.

Chiastophyllum oppositifolium belongs to the Crassulaceae family. It is native to mountainous areas located in the western Caucasus. Its natural habitat is cool rock crevices. 'Variegatum' is a cultivar selected for its variegated foliage. This plant grows as ground cover, reaching a height of 15 to 20 centimeters (6 to 8 inches), with indefinite spreading. Flowering occurs in June, with five-petaled yellow flowers arranged in initially erect, then trailing clusters, resembling those of lily of the valley. Its leaves are evergreen, fleshy, round, coarsely dentate, with a beautiful bluish-green colour surrounded by a wide cream band, with the lower leaves tinged with rust. The plant develops from a rhizome.

Plant Variegated Gold Drop in a partially shaded rock garden, alongside saxifrages (Saxifraga stolonifera), Ramonda, Lewisia, and bergenias, under a bench, near a waterfall, in cracks of walls and retaining walls where it will subtly illuminate. It also makes a good ground cover.