Estimated Height at Pickup: 2-3’, 3 gal

A smaller, mounding shrub that favors edge habitats and poor, dry soil. Valuable to and highly sought after by many varieties of pollinators! Flowers are long lasting, and fresh and dried seed pod clusters give visual interest for even longer. Can take some time to establish, but is an unusual, showy, drought tolerant addition to the native garden.

Pollination: Likely self pollinating.

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade

Soil Moisture: Mesic, Dry Mesic, Dry

Soil Type: Gravely, Sandy

Height: 2’-4’ 

Width: 2’-4’

Bloom Color: White

Bloom Time: May-Jul

Fruit: Small seeds in pyramidal seed capsules mature in fall. 

Fall Color: -

Root Type: Taproot

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract mainly bees, wasps, flies, and occasionally small butterflies. Hosts the spring azure butterfly, moths such as the sulphur moth and red-fronted emerald, and some smaller insects. Foliage commonly eaten by deer, turkey, and quail.

Notes: Tea made from dried leaves was widely used during the Civil War, as trade in teas sourced abroad had been disrupted. Dried pods split and eject seeds, which can fly several feet away. Difficult to propagate from seed and to transplant due to long taproots that develop early.