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Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' (Chameleon Plant)
Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' (Chameleon Plant)
Origin: China, Japan, Korea, South East Asia
Family: Saururaceae (Lizard-tail)
Light: Sun-part shade
Height: 0.5-1'
Spacing: 2-3'
Blooms: Greenish-yellow with white and basal bracts, terminal, tiny, late Spring
Foliage: Showy, variegated, green with pale yellow and pink, broad, heart-shaped, alternate
Soil: Well-drained, consistently moist, mildly acidic, tolerates some drought
Water: Moderate-low
Uses: Ground cover, pond, aquatics, medicinal, culinary, vegetable, foliage, around ponds, shade garden, bog garden, hanging basket, woodland setting, mass plant, between concretes
Propagation: Rootball divisions
Caution: Plant can be invasive
Comments: Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' or Chameleon Plant is a very hardy aquatic groundcover with an aggressive trailing growth habit. It is a native of China, Japan, Korea and South East Asia. It is a relative of the Lizard-tail family. In late Summer, Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' produces cute tiny terminal yellowish-green flowers with white basal bracts. It has exquisite colorful variegation of green, pale yellow and pink, broad, heart-shaped, alternate foliage. Chameleon Plant is easily propagated from rootball divisions. It thrives best in well-drained, moist, acidic soil in a sunny to part shade environment. Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' is low maintenance and tolerates some drought. It spreads by massive root system and can quickly cover a large area. Mass plant between concrete pavements to contain its spread. Chameleon Plant looks gorgeous in hanging baskets. Use it as a lovely groundcover in the drier area of the shady landscape. Chameleon Plant will take off if used around ponds, in a woodland setting or in a bog garden. Grow it in a hanging basket or pot. Houttynia cordata 'Chameloen has culinary usses. Vietnames enjoy the leaves as a fresh/cooked vegetable while the Chinese enjoy eating the roots as a cooked dish. It is in the diet of the people of SE Asia who enjoy eating the tasty cilantro-scented leaves as a vegetable, especially when cooked in curry, the added colors make this dish look so palatable. Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' has medicinal values. The Chinese have used it in traditional folklore herb for the treatment of various ailments. It has antiviral and antibacterial properties and is also an anticancer plant. Properly used, Chameleon Plant can turn a dull shady landscape into a beauty. I fell in love with the eye-catching foliage the first time I set eyes on it and had to bring it home with me. Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' is now happily growing in a hanging basket in Jenny's Garden.
USDA Zones: 5-9
Origin: China, Japan, Korea, South East Asia
Family: Saururaceae (Lizard-tail)
Light: Sun-part shade
Height: 0.5-1'
Spacing: 2-3'
Blooms: Greenish-yellow with white and basal bracts, terminal, tiny, late Spring
Foliage: Showy, variegated, green with pale yellow and pink, broad, heart-shaped, alternate
Soil: Well-drained, consistently moist, mildly acidic, tolerates some drought
Water: Moderate-low
Uses: Ground cover, pond, aquatics, medicinal, culinary, vegetable, foliage, around ponds, shade garden, bog garden, hanging basket, woodland setting, mass plant, between concretes
Propagation: Rootball divisions
Caution: Plant can be invasive
Comments: Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' or Chameleon Plant is a very hardy aquatic groundcover with an aggressive trailing growth habit. It is a native of China, Japan, Korea and South East Asia. It is a relative of the Lizard-tail family. In late Summer, Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' produces cute tiny terminal yellowish-green flowers with white basal bracts. It has exquisite colorful variegation of green, pale yellow and pink, broad, heart-shaped, alternate foliage. Chameleon Plant is easily propagated from rootball divisions. It thrives best in well-drained, moist, acidic soil in a sunny to part shade environment. Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' is low maintenance and tolerates some drought. It spreads by massive root system and can quickly cover a large area. Mass plant between concrete pavements to contain its spread. Chameleon Plant looks gorgeous in hanging baskets. Use it as a lovely groundcover in the drier area of the shady landscape. Chameleon Plant will take off if used around ponds, in a woodland setting or in a bog garden. Grow it in a hanging basket or pot. Houttynia cordata 'Chameloen has culinary usses. Vietnames enjoy the leaves as a fresh/cooked vegetable while the Chinese enjoy eating the roots as a cooked dish. It is in the diet of the people of SE Asia who enjoy eating the tasty cilantro-scented leaves as a vegetable, especially when cooked in curry, the added colors make this dish look so palatable. Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' has medicinal values. The Chinese have used it in traditional folklore herb for the treatment of various ailments. It has antiviral and antibacterial properties and is also an anticancer plant. Properly used, Chameleon Plant can turn a dull shady landscape into a beauty. I fell in love with the eye-catching foliage the first time I set eyes on it and had to bring it home with me. Houttynia cordata 'Chameleon' is now happily growing in a hanging basket in Jenny's Garden.
USDA Zones: 5-9
JennysGarden.com...Plant images and gardening descriptions of Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' (Chameleon Plant) growing in
Jenny's Garden
JennysGarden.com...Plant images and gardening descriptions of Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' (Chameleon Plant) growing in
Jenny's Garden
Image of perennial groundcover, Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' or Chameleon Plant
