Berlandiera lyrata (Chocolate Daisy)
Also known as Chocolate Flower, Lyreleaf Greeneyes, Green-eyed Lyre Leaf.
Chocolate Daisy is a perennial with velvety leaves and yellow flowers with maroon centers that smell like chocolate, particularly in early to mid-morning on warm days. Flowers appear on leafless stems. They open in the morning and droop in the heat of day. They are followed by attractive seedheads. The leaves are coarse and gray-green or pale green. In rich soil with extra water, the plant may fall over but it will send up branchlets along the stem which will produce more flowers. In a meadow, it can be mowed in early summer after the first wave of blooms. It will bloom year-round in warm weather.
Chocolate Daisy prefers slightly alkaline, sandy, caliche or gravely well-draining soils. It develops a long taproot so division or transplanting is not recommended. Chocolate Daisy is heat and drought tolerant. It can get tall with rich soil and abundant water, but in drier soils it is more compact. It can suffer from root rot in heavy, wet soils. Deadheading will encourage more blooms.
Chocolate Daisy works well in perennial borders, rock gardens, wildflower or short grass meadows, naturalized areas.
AT A GLANCE
Texas native | Yes |
Water use | Low |
Sun exposure | Full sun to part shade |
Bloom color | Yellow |
Bloom time | Spring, summer, fall |
Mature height | 1-4 ft |
Mature width | 1-2 ft |
Attracts | Butterflies, birds, bees. |
Deer resistant | yes |
Notes | Needs good drainage. |
DISTRIBUTION MAPS
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