Diphylleia Skeleton Flower

Diphylleia Skeleton Flower is a deciduous perennial that blooms early to midsummer, creating a decidedly Asian ambiance. The lovely little white blooms appear unassuming—until it rains. That's when the magic happens. Tissue thin, the flowers become translucent when wet, leaving only the intricate "skeletal" veining and their yellow center clearly visible, giving the flowers the appearance of frosted glass.

A Diphylleia grayi, commonly called skeleton flower, umbrella leaf, or Asian umbrella leaf, this mountainous, woodland plant has a slow growth rate and mounding habit of large, deeply lobed foliage that umbrellas over the stems. A rhizomatous plant, it makes a nice ground cover, as it slowly grows into a small colony, especially nice under trees. It is a fabulous specimen, container, or bedding plant in shade gardens, but it is shown to best effect when mass planted.

Cold hardy and easy to grow, skeleton flower thrives in cool temperatures and high humidity. It grows best in shady locations with organically rich, evenly moist, well-draining soil. Make sure the plant gets plenty of water, especially during dry weather. Skeleton flower is generally pest and disease free