Scientific: Thymophylla pentachaeta (Synonym: Dyssodia pentachaeta)
Common: Five-needle prickly leaf, golden dyssodia, dogweed
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Central and south Texas and South Carolina into northern Mexico
Pronounciation: Thy-mo-FIL-la pen-ta-cha-EE-ta
Hardiness zones
Sunset All
USDA All
Landscape Use: Multi-purpose border, edging, spreading ground cover, wildflower garden, flowering accent.
Form & Character: Freely matting carpet, prostrate, delicate, yet stinky, pesky and tough.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, herbaceous, cool seasona annual (in Phoenix) to short lived perennial, freely reseeding, quickly growing to 4- to 8-inches tall with slightly greater spread. Use water to control growth rate.
Foliage/Texture: Pinntified to lobed, thread-like leaves that are extremely aromatic, glacous (grey) green and threadlike to filiform; very fine texture.
Flowers & Fruits: Small, yellow ray flowers to 1/2 inch in diameter, densely arrayed; fruits are small achenes, brown in color and insidiously inconspicuous.
Seasonal Color: Yellow flowers in spring and again in fall.
Temperature: More heat tolerant than Thymophylla tenuiloba. It struggles and looks stressed, but does not die out during the Phoenix summer.
Light: Full sun (best).
Soil: Tough and tolerant of all Phoenix soils, but grows best if soils are well drained.
Watering: Tolerant, none to frequent depending on how much you want this little plant to spread.
Pruning: Remove entire plants after bloom easily with a hula hoe.
Propagation: Another EASY PEASY herbaceous short-lived perennial grown from seed which germinate naturally in the fall when the weather cools below 80oF. If given half a chance, it can vigorously reseed and naturalize in Phoenix landscapes for years on end across your's and your neighbor's yard.
Disease and Pests: None, though its prostrate habit makes a great shelter for ants.
Additional comments: Just like its cousin Thymophylla tenuiloba, five-needle prickly leaf is a free-spirited diminuative plant that is able to naturalize across your's and your neighbor's yard with little effort - so BEWARE! Because of this some consider this a noxious weed despite its cute ornament; highly aromatic foliage and flowers. Attracts butterflies.
URGENT NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF: This is one of those "you want it, you got it" plants.....use clear-minded discretion (no beer!) when deciding to plant (or sow) five-leaf prickly leaf in your yardscape. Your neighbors may or may not thank you someday. Thymophylla pentachaeta is a functional equivalent to Thymophylla tenuiloba in Phoenix landscapes.
