Asperula sintenisii

Perennial from the Rubiaceae family, Asperula sintenisii is native to Turkey, where it occupies the rockeries and stony slopes of the Anatolian mountain ranges, in sunny exposure and on well-drained substrates. It belongs to the group of cushion woodruffs, among the most generous in flowers of the entire genus.

It forms a dense and tight hemispherical cushion, 5 to 10 cm in height, with woody stems at the base, very branched, covered with small mucronate linear leaves, from medium to dark green, arranged in compact whorls that give the cushion a finely granular and regular texture, clearly visible between the flowers.

The flowers, tubular with four widely spread star-shaped lobes, are medium pink to deep pink, with a notable variation ranging from almost white to bright pink within the same cushion, creating a particularly pleasing natural bicolor effect. They literally cover the surface of the cushion to the point of almost entirely masking the foliage at the peak of flowering. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July. In cultivation, it generally occurs in May-June.

It requires perfect drainage, a poor mineral substrate, full sunny exposure, and dreads persistent winter humidity. Cultivation in an alpine pot or in a well-exposed wall crevice suits it perfectly and allows one to fully appreciate the generosity of its flowering.