Overall plant
Common Name: berlandiera
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 7 to 9
Height: 2.75 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: May to September
Bloom Description: Yellow ray florets, maroon fertile florets, persistent green bracts
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Drought, Dry Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, sandy, very well-draining soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of drier soils and occasional drought once established. Hardy in Zones 7-9.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Berlandiera pumila, commonly called soft greeneyes, is a herbaceous perennial endemic to dunes, pinelands, sandhills, roadsides and other open habitats with sandy soil on the southern Coastal Plain of the United States, from the Carolinas south to peninsular Florida and west to central Texas. Mature plants will reach 1-3’ tall with a 0.5-2’ spread. Upright, low branching stems hold the alternately arranged leaves and terminal inflorescences. The leaves are oblong or ovate in shape with undulating, round-toothed margins and will reach roughly 2-4” long and 1-2” wide. The leaves nearer to the apex of the stems tend to be smaller and have shorter or no leaf stalk (sessile). The stems and undersides of the leaves have a fairly dense covering of fine hair and are gray-green in color. Each stem is topped with a branching array of 1-2” wide, fragrant, daisy-type flower heads with deep yellow ray florets surrounding a central disk of dark red to maroon fertile florets. The main flowering period is from spring through summer. The blooms perfume the air with a chocolatey aroma, attracting butterflies, bees, and other insect pollinators. Rounded, green bracts persist after the petals have fallen and are showy.
Genus name honors Jean-Louis Berlandier (1805-1851), French-Swiss botanist and physician, who collected plants in Texas and Mexico in the early 1800s.
The specific epithet pumila means “small” or “dwarf”. This species was at one time included in the genus Silphium, and was considered quite small for a member of that genus.
The common name soft greeneyes refers to the texture of the foliage of this species as well as the showy, persistent, green bracts encircling the center disk that are visible after the petals have fallen.
'Chocoholic' is a soft greeneyes selection that features a long-lasting display of highly fragrant, 2” wide, yellow blooms from late spring through early fall. This cultivar was selected from an eastern Texas seed strain. Mature plants will reach up to 3’ tall with sturdy stems and 3” long leaves with undulating margins.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note. Poorly draining soil may lead to root or crown rot.
Uses
Rock gardens, xeriscaping, mixed borders, pollinator gardens, large containers.