Xerochrysum bracteatum
Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 27: 151. 1990.
Common names: Strawflower golden everlasting paper daisy
IntroducedIllustrated
Basionym: Xeranthemum bracteatum Ventenat Jard. Malmaison 1: plate 2. 1803
Synonyms: Bracteantha bracteata (Ventenat) Anderberg & Haegi Helichrysum bracteatum (Ventenat) Andrews
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 428.
Annuals or perennials, 20–90 cm (dwarf varieties mostly less than 30 cm); taprooted. Stems scabrellous and minutely glandular, sometimes lightly arachnoid as well. Leaf blades narrowly elliptic or oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 2–5(–10) cm, sometimes slightly fleshy, vestiture like stems. Heads 3–5 cm diam. (across open involucres). Phyllaries yellow (wild form) or white to pink, red, and purple (cultivars), 10–20 mm. 2n = 24, 26, 28.
Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Disturbed sites
Elevation: 20–50 m
Distribution
Introduced; Conn., Mass., Australia.
Discussion
Known in horticulture as Helichrysum bracteatum, Xerochrysum bracteatum is widely cultivated for its relatively large, spreading, and spectacularly colored involucral bracts. It apparently rarely escapes from cultivation.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.