The common name, Bishops Hat comes from the Epimediums flowers resemblance to headwear worn by members of the clergy, called a biretta. The Latin word semper translates to always, while virens means green. Together they refer to this plant being evergreen. Bishops Hat is a drought-tolerant ground cover for the shade garden that spreads by rhizomes and is native to Japan. It prefers light to moderate shade in average to organically enriched, medium moist, well-drained, acidic soil. The 1-2 inch blooms are held above the foliage in tightly packed racemes in spring and range in color from white to purple depending on the cultivar. The plant will form nice clumps in time. The foliage is also attractive with spring and fall color changes. It is evergreen in zones 7 and above, while semi-evergreen in cooler zones. Use Bishops Hat in shady borders, rock gardens, woodland areas or line a walkway. Established plant can hold water through their rhizomes, making this plant both dry soil and drought tolerant. It is a low maintenance plant, however, any foliage that does not make it through the winter months should be cut down, allowing new growth to emerge. Propagation should be done in the early spring or in the fall. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Mosaic virus can affect the plant. Intolerant of alkaline soils.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheEpimedium x rubrumEpimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum'Epimedium x youngianum 'Niveum'
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Dense
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
It has both basal and cauline, compound, medium green leaves with pointed, heart-shaped leaflets on wiry stems are red tinged in spring, green in summer and yellow, red, or bronze in fall. 2-4 inches long with spiny margins.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1-2 inch spidery blooms in racemes of 8-10 flowers have long recurved spurs. Bloom time is April-May.
Bloom time
Spring
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Wiry green stems held above the foliage
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Japan
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Shade
Food & Medicine
Uses (ethnobotany)
Used as an effective ground cover and for erosion control.