Plant Type

Perennial

 

Height Range

1-3'

 

Flower Color

Yellow

 

Flower Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Meadow, Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish

 

Accenting Features

Fragrance, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Entry, Perennial Border, Parking Strip, Patio, Raised Planter, Walkways

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Mass Planting, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Butterflies

Chocolate flower is a shrubby, branched perennial that grows to about 1 or 2 feet tall and wide. Leaves are deep green above and whitish underneath, and are small and fine. Flowers are daisy-lie, with yellow rays and a green eye surrounded in red. Flowers bloom at night from late spring to frost, and smell like chocolate, with the aroma being most noticeable in early to mid-morning before the petals close up or drop. Really. A lovely, tough perennial that smells like chocolate. It's native to grassy plains and so is lovely in a meadow-like setting, though it also fits in well with a more cottage-style perennial border.

Grow in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some light shade. Prefers slightly alkaline soils. Tolerates rocky soils. Good tolerance for heat and drought. May produce more flowers with consistent moisture, but at the cost of drooping stems, but that also doesn't mean to over-water. May self-seed in the garden. Easily grown from seed. Frost tolerant to 10 F.