This evergreen clump-forming perennial is native to the eastern Mediterranean, north Africa and Turkey, where it grows in scrubby meadows and rocky slopes. It produces whorls of grassy gray-green foliage in spring. In summer, stout leafy stems produce yellow star-shaped flowers in dense terminal racemes with conspicuous buff to reddish brown bracts. The flowers are one inch wide, fragrant, and open at uneven intervals along the stem after midday over a period of several weeks. Green, marble-sized fruit maturing to brown follow the flowers and are showy. Stems with dried flowers or fruits are valued for flower arrangements.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Bloom: Fragrant, yellow, star-shaped flowers in dense terminal racemes with consipuous buff to reddish brown bracts in summer.
Size: 3-4’ H x 1-2’ W
Light: Full sun to dapples shade
Soil: Average, moderately moist, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 6-9
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: None of significance
Propagation: Seed; division of rhizomes with two to three growing points on each and watering after planting in late summer or early fall
Companion plants: Grasses.
Karen Meyers