Glendale Public Library
Xeriscape Demonstration Garden Information Sheet

---

Your browser is not Java capable or Java has been disabled.

---

Berlandiera lyrata-Chocolate Flower

Native, low growing long lived perennial with medium green, fiddle shaped leaves. The plant starts with a basal rosette of leaves and grows to 1 foot tall by 2 feet across. Leaves grow along the stems nearly up to the flowers. Masses of yellow and maroon, daisy-like flowers will appear in summer and fall and in some cases, nearly year round.

The center of the flowers smell like chocolate. After the flowers have faded, the brown seed heads develop from late summer through late fall. This species is native from southeastern Arizona east to Kansas, Arkansas and Texas, and south into northern Mexico. It occurs in the grasslands from 4000 to 5000 feet in elevation.

Plant in full to part sun in the low desert in well drained soil.  Water deeply but infrequently.  Dead head to prolong flowering.  Too much water and fertilizer will make them leggy.  Winter pruning will rejuvenate.  Useful for dried arrangements also.  Shade or drought will stop flowering and flowers will close in afternoons anyway.