Description
American basket flower (Centaurea americana) gets its common name from the intricate, overlapping scales that encircle the base of each powder-puff bloom, creating a basket-like effect. The large, thistle-like blooms, which close at night, tend to have white centers surrounded by a purplish pink outer ring. I’ve read the scent described as honey-sweet, but I don’t find it particularly noticeable unless I stick my nose right into the center of the flower, which is a perilous proposition due to the many bees wallowing among the fringy petals. Butterflies are also frequent visitors. The blooms appear through summer atop stems that can top out anywhere from 2 to 5 feet tall (figure on the shorter side of that range in average soil and the taller side in rich, moist conditions). Full sun. Annual.
Collected in August 2020. At least 15 seeds.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.