Berlandiera lyrata
A small plant with an airy habit, Chocolate Scented Daisy (sometimes called Chocolate Flower), makes a lovely, informal edging plant. It is most impressive and fragrant when planted in groups.
Although native to the Southwest, Chocolate Scented Daisy has shown itself adaptable to a broad spectrum of conditions. A night bloomer, the flowers offer up their rich cocoa scent in the morning. The petals close or drop as the temperature rises, and the fragrance recedes.
Left behind is a set of green bracts cupped around the head of the flower. The effect is like a daisy with a green eye, which is why Berlandiera is called Green Eyes. In Texas and Florida, there are slightly different species of Berlandiera, which are, respectively, called Texas and Florida Green Eyes.
As the bracts dry, they flatten outward and make a convenient holder on which the large milk chocolate-colored seeds will ripen; left alone, these seeds come up readily the following spring.
If harvested before the seeds come loose at the center (note the cream-colored attachment points around the middle), these brown heads make an attractive addition to the autumn-dried arrangement.
Height: 12”-15”
Spread: 18”-24”
Bloom: May-August
Light: Full Sun
Water: Low
Zone: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Origin: Texas
