Straw Flower Varieties

Straw Flower

• The most widely grown straw flower species, Xerochrysum bracteatum, usually performs as a long-blooming annual. In its native Australia, however, the plant may grow as a short-lived perennial. This plant produces a spring-to-fall succession of straw-textured, daisy-like blooms in white, yellow, pink, maroon, orange and red. The densely petaled, yellow-centered flowers crown upright stems of narrow, gray-green leaves. The species has given rise to numerous, 1- to 4-foot cultivars. Among them is the Dreamtime Series of compact, 10- to 12-inch mounding plants. Dreamtime Copper bears yellow-eyed, orange-yellow double flowers with deep green foliage. Improved cold and heat resistance extend the Dreamtime cultivars' blooming season.

Alpine Everlasting

• Alpine, or orange, everlasting (X. subundulatum) covers Southeastern Australian and Tasmanian alpine meadows with dense mats of yellow or orange daisies. This straw flower shrugs off frost, and thrives at high, cold elevations. It even withstands long periods buried in snow. Alpine everlasting grows up to 12 inches high, and spreads as much as 3 feet. Narrow, rounded green leaves line its slender, grayish stems. Its flowers bloom from late spring until fall. Intolerance of hot climates has limited its cultivation.

White Alpine Everlasting

• Several white alpine everlasting (X. bicolor) populations occurred on the Australian mainland and in Tasmania as of summer 2005, according to the Tasmanian Department of Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment's website. In Tasmania, however, the plant had a rare classification. White alpine everlasting has upright stems of downy, narrow pointed leaves. Each of its upright, 10-inch to 2 1/2-foot stems bears one yellow daisy. The seeds require disturbed, exposed soil to germinate.

Island Everlasting

• Wild populations of perennial island everlasting (X. papillosum) occur on several islands off Victoria's southeastern coast. This up-to-2 1/2-foot straw flower tolerates temperatures between 40 and 70 degrees F, and average annual rainfall of 45 inches. Its golden-centered, white daisies bloom from December to February. Individual blooms measure as much as 1 1/2 inches across. Bumpy surfaces distinguish the plant's elliptical, narrow green leaves.

Sticky Everlasting

• Sticky everlasting (X. viscosum) grows wild in eucalyptus stands and along roadsides or on other disturbed sites across southeastern Australia. The perennial, named for the sticky surfaces of its elliptical, bright-green leaves, grows between 8 and 30 inches tall with a 1- to 2 1/2-foot spread. Prominent, golden-yellow eyes adorn the plant's long-lived daisies. Their range of ray colors includes bronze, mottled orange and lemon- or golden-yellow.

Swamp Everlasting

• Swamp everlasting's (X. palustre) rare numbers have earned it a Vulnerable status in Australia. The up-to-3-foot perennial faces threats from browsing by wild pigs, deer and domesticated livestock, as well as off-road vehicles intruding into its swamp and bog habitats. Swamp everlasting blooms from November to March. Its 2-inch, yellow daisies unfurl atop semi-erect stems of alternating, narrow lance-like green leaves.