Pronounciation: Ber-lan-de-AIR-a LY-ra-ta

Hardiness zones
Sunset 4-24
USDA 4-11

Landscape Use: Mixed flower gardens, sensory gardens, border, accent, mesic gardens themes in arid and semi-arid climates.

Form & Character: Clumping, bright, festive, airy and strong-smelling (in a good way).

Growth Habit: Evergreen, herbaceous perennial grown as a biennial in Phoenix. Growth rate is slow to moderate, basaly clumping when vegetative sending flower stalks to 2-feet tall.

Foliage/Texture: Basally clumping, glaucous, pinntified to 5-inches long; medium fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Brilliant yellow flowers, petals characteristic of the Asteraceae (daisy) family, flowers about 2-inches wide. Undersides of flower petals are streaked with chocolate brown; fruit structures consist of hardened brown sepals serving up fruit-like plates of food, ornamental also.

Seasonal Color: Flowering in April in Phoenix. Some sources state that chocolate flower is a night bloomer, but this is not the case in Phoenix.

Temperature: Tolerant of all but the highest summer heat in Phoenix, in other colder climates will freeze to ground during winter.

Light: Partial shade to full sun, no intense western exposures.

Soil: Tolerant of some alkalinity.

Watering: Infrequent, but regular water in Phoenix.

Pruning: None, except to rarely spent fruiting stalks.

Propagation: Seed

Disease and Pests: None

Additional comments: Chocolate flower really does have flowers that intensely smell like chocolate. This aromatic herb is a great addition to any informal perennial garden. Fruit pods are used in dry flower arrangements.