Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Boykinia occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common name coastal brookfoam. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to Los Angeles County and in the central Sierras. It grows in shady areas near riverbanks and streams. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing large, palmate leaves with blades up to 45 centimeters long and 12 wide, borne on petioles up to 30 centimeters in length. Each leaf has several rounded lobes with dull teeth along the edges. The flower cluster reaches 30 to 60 centimeters tall on a thin stem. It bears an open array of many small white flowers, each with five tiny pointed sepals and five larger oval petals. The flowers are somewhat more showy than the closely related Boykinia rotundifolia.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

1 - 2 ft Tall
2 ft Wide

Dormancy

Evergreen

Calscape icon
Color

White

Flowering season

Summer

Special uses

Containers

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

High, Moderate

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil drainage

Slow

Soil description

Tolerates a variety of soils as long as adequate moisture is present.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.5

Sunset Zones

2, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Shady stream banks

Plant communities

Chaparral, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Northern Coastal Scrub, Forest, Yellow Pine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

This plant is best used in a damp shade garden with similar plants such as Heuchera spp., ferns, Meadow Rue (Thalictrum spp.), Western Dichondra (Dichondra occidentalis), Wild Ginger (Asarum spp.), and False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum)