This is a small herb from South American savannas, preferably from rocky areas, vegetating on shallow white sand soils. It has an undergr...Read Moreound stem that protects the plant from natural fire. So, even if the aerial parts are burned, the stem stays alive and promotes a new growth as soon as the periodic rains start.
In nature it doesn´t grow much, reaching up around to 30cm. It has leaves covered with tiny hairs, that may vary on it´s size and shape (the synonims listed above were misnamed due to this variation). The inflorescence is compact, and the flowers are protected by atractive pink bracts. The colors of these bracts may vary too from plant to plant, from pale pink (almost white) to magenta. The flowers look like those of Lantana, just a bit larger, pink, and atract butterflies.
In windy areas, on the mountain tops, it seems to grow better. And when it´s windy, the delicate pink blooms wave on the ground, really beautiful
This plant can be cultivated on white sand (if you smoke - which is bad - you could put the ashes of your cigarretes to fertilize the soil once a year, the plant needs the minerals), under full sun, moderate temperatures (tolerating some frost), and periodic watering (less water during the winter, when it blooms). I don´t know if it would go well on pots, since the roots can needs room to fully grow, so find a sunny corner in your yard and fill it with white sand.
This is a small herb from South American savannas, preferably from rocky areas, vegetating on shallow white sand soils. It has an undergr...Read More