Description
Form: Herb.
Lifespan: Annual to perennial.
Growth rate: Rapid.
Mature Size: 6-18" (15-46cm) high.
Flowers: One-inch (2.5cm) wide, narrow white to violet rays, with yellow florets in the center, at the end of a stem. The flowers fold up in late afternoon or in shade, revealing pale purple undersides, and resemble round lavender balls. One plant may have more than a dozen blooms open at one time.
The flowers reproduce by apomixis: asexual development of seed or embryo without fertilization, where the viable seeds produce clones of the original plant.
Bloom: Sporadically, winter, spring, summer, fall, depending on the local climate.
Fruit: Each floret produces one dried fruit with a single seed (cypsela), tufted at one end, which is dispersed by the wind.
Leaves: Long, narrow, dull green.
Stems: Long, narrow, dull green.
Roots: Clump-forming.
Wildlife: The flowers attract butterflies.
Toxic / Danger: No.
Origin: Western North America.

Cultivation and Uses
USDA hardiness zones: 2-10.
Heat tolerant: Yes.
Drought tolerant: Yes.
Sun: Full sun to part shade..
Soil: Well draining, dry, low organic content, pH 6.1-7.8 (slightly acidic to slightly alkaline).
Water once established: Once a month.
Litter: Low.
Propagation: Seed, root division. This plant easily reseeds.
Uses: Ornamental.

Comments
This species is a member of the Daisy family (Asteraceae), and highly variable in form. In the picture at right, some shaded flowers have closed, revealing their violet undersides. The butterfly in the picture is a Dainty Sulphur.

Lachnophyllum noeanum is a similar looking species with pale purple rays native to the eastern Mediterranean into Iran. It is sometimes confused with this plant.

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