Xerochrysum Bracteatum – Golden Everlasting / Strawflower seeds

Reforest Australia

Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia

$7.00

Xerochrysum bracteatum
Common name(s): Golden Everlasting or Strawflower
Height, Width: 10-120 cm high
Plant Type: Annual (?to perennial), taprooted herb.
Flowering Period: All year (mostly spring).
Type/variety: Golden yellow, natural variety (not a cultivar). Wild-collected, open-pollinated seed from subalpine Victoria, Australia. As a result germination rate is between 50-75%. Oversow to ensure adequate germination.

Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia. Described by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in 1803, it was known as Helichrysum bracteatum for many years before being transferred to a new genus Xerochrysum in 1990. It is an annual up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall with green or grey leafy foliage. Golden yellow or white flower heads are produced from spring to autumn; their distinctive feature is the papery bracts that resemble petals. The species is widespread, growing in a variety of habitats across the country, from rainforest margins to deserts and subalpine areas. The golden everlasting serves as food for various larvae of lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), and adult butterflies, hoverflies, native bees, small beetles, and grasshoppers visit the flower heads.

The golden everlasting has proven very adaptable to cultivation. It was propagated and developed in Germany in the 1850s, and annual cultivars in a host of colour forms from white to bronze to purple flowers became available. Many of these are still sold in mixed seed packs. In Australia, many cultivars are perennial shrubs, which have become popular garden plants. Sturdier, long-stemmed forms are used commercially in the cut flower industry.

 

SEEDS: Enough for you to successfully grow between 50-100 plants. Your seeds are of the same stock we use to grow our native plants in the nursery. The success of germination varies with open-pollinated, wild-collected seeds and after 3 years of consistently growing these species in the local area, I have selected the amount of seed you need to successfully grow between 50-100 plants yourself. These seeds are collected seasonally and with sincere cultural and ecological respect. Ordering a quantity according to this scale rather than ordering individual seeds is a better representation of sustainable seed harvesting and success for the grower.

Packet of 200-300 seeds.

Larger quantities are available.

PROPAGATION NOTES:

For great results refrigerate your seeds for 1-2 weeks before sowing. This emulates an over-wintering effect that helps with germination rates.

Sow seeds in a native-specific potting mix.

A good general rule to follow is to sow seeds at a depth relative to the size of the seed.

(Eucalyptus seeds require a light dusting of soil as their seeds are usually tiny. Warrigal Greens require a 50mm to 100mm depth.)

Keep moist, water daily until germination in 2-8 weeks at a minimum of 15° Celsius.

Reduce your watering amount once germination has occurred.

Sow at any time of the year.

Out of stock

Category:

Got something to discuss?