About Solenomelus pedunculatus (Gillies ex Hook.) Hochr.
Solenomelus pedunculatus (Gillies ex Hook.) Hochr. is a common flowering plant species in the genus Solenomelus, native to the Chilean Andes. It grows clumps of greyish-green, grass-like leaves, and produces a sequence of short-lived deep yellow flowers on a zig-zag stalk. This species grows at altitudes between 500 and 2000 m in the interior valleys of Chile's coastal mountains. It occurs most often in humid areas with nearly constant rainfall, where short dry periods of no more than one month can occur. During dry summers, its leaves die back in a pattern similar to Sisyrinchium bellum, and regrow when rain returns in autumn. It can also grow in somewhat dry areas where drought lasts 3 to 5 months, with annual precipitation of 400 to 800 mm concentrated in winter. S. pedunculatus cannot tolerate snow, but can survive freezing temperatures as low as -5 °C. It prefers partial shade and protection from direct sunlight provided by surrounding vegetation, which filters 20 to 80% of incoming light.
