Berlandiera lyrata Seeds

Berlanderia lyrata, commonly known as the 'Chocolate Daisy', is a highly floriferous North American wild plant that deserves to be discovered. Its bright yellow daisy-like flowers with mahogany centres that smell like cocoa colour the garden as much as they perfume it for long months. Spontaneous in the dry and rocky meadows of the southern United States and Mexico, this very robust perennial is made for dynamic gardens, rockeries, and country borders. Hardy, generous, undemanding, and very water-efficient, it thrives in the sun, in any well-drained garden soil, even rocky, limestone, and fairly dry in summer.

Berlanderia lyrata belongs to the Asteraceae family, just like its cousin the Ratibida. In its native lands, it is called Chocolate Daisy or Lyre leaf green eyes in English. This common name refers to the shape of the leaf, which resembles a lyre, but also to the green central disc of the flower, which is clearly visible when the yellow florets fall off. The distribution area of this botanical species covers almost the entire southern United States. In Mexico, it ventures into regions such as Chihuahua and Sonora. It is an herbaceous plant, perennial by its stump. It quickly forms a clump about 50 cm (20in) tall when flowering, with a spread of 50-60 cm (20-24in). The foliage persists more or less in winter if the plant is pruned in autumn. It consists of velvety basal leaves with pinnate and lobed lobes. They are a very soft gray-green. The flowering of Berlanderia lyrata is particularly long: it renews from June to October if faded flowers are removed and the soil remains slightly moist. In regions spared by frost, this plant can flower all year round. At the end of leafless, brownish stems, 4-5 cm (2in) flower heads composed of a collar of 5 to 9 intense yellow petals or ligules open. The central disc, composed of regularly imbricate green bracts, is surrounded by reddish-brown stamens. The flowers close or wither around mid-morning. They are visited by numerous butterflies and pollinating insects.

Berlandiera lyrata is a plant that will delight lovers of botanical curiosities and naturalistic gardens. It can be used in sunny, well-drained flower beds mixed with easy and generous annuals such as love-in-a-mist, poppies, cosmos, or perennials such as Persian cornflower or blue globes. Complete the scene by mixing in California poppies or some ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Briza media Limouzi... Splendid in border flower beds, the fragrant flowers of Berlanderia are also perfect in fresh or dried flower bouquets. It pairs beautifully with Salvia Blue Note!