Patrinia triloba

Patrinia triloba is a perennial in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. It comes from Honshu, Japan, where it grows in mountain grasslands. Its native climate is temperate. Gardeners also know it as three-leaved patrinia. It forms a leafy clump and loses its leaves in winter. This small plant suits beds where taller shrubs provide shelter.

Plants reach about 1.6 feet (0.5 m) tall and wide. The RHS gives a garden range of 0.3–1.6 feet (0.1–0.5 m) for both dimensions. Clumps take two to five years to reach full size. The mid-green leaves have palmate lobes, spreading from a shared point. They turn yellow in autumn before they fall. Branching stems carry heads of small yellow flowers. Each flower has a trumpet shape with five petal lobes. The scented heads measure about 0.3 feet (0.1 m) across.

Give this plant fertile soil with plenty of humus. Keep the soil moist, but allow excess water to drain. The RHS lists both clay and loam as suitable soils. It accepts acid, neutral, and alkaline conditions. The RHS cultivation notes favour partial or deep shade. Its position guide also lists full sun and partial shade. A sheltered site matches its listed growing needs. The RHS rates it H6 for UK conditions. This rating covers winter lows of roughly −20 to −15°C.

Use it in informal beds, cottage gardens, or woodland planting. It can cover the ground beneath roses and shrubs. Plants For A Future suggests spacing ground-cover plants about 1 foot (0.3 m) apart each way. Its low clumps also fit the front of flower beds. The RHS lists it among plants for low-maintenance gardens. Cut the stems back once flowering has finished. Divide clumps in spring to make more plants. Another method uses fresh seed sown in containers in a cold frame.

The RHS reports few usual problems with pests or disease. Plants For A Future does not flag it as weedy. That source records cooked leaves as an emergency food. This is a limited food use, not a recommendation for routine eating. It reports no known hazards, but that does not establish complete safety. It also records no known medicinal use.