lyre-leaf greeneyes
Berlandiera lyrata
Summary 8
Berlandiera lyrata, with the common names chocolate flower, chocolate daisy, or lyreleaf greeneyes, is a North American species of flowering plant in the sunflower family. The common name lyreleaf greeneyes is a reference to the shape of the leaf, which is curved like a lyre and the green disc which is left behind when the ray florets drop off which is thought to look like an eye.
Description 9
The flower head is approximately 1.0 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter, with yellow ray florets and which grows with an "airy habit." The leaves are pinnately lobed or scalloped. In areas that freeze, the flowers bloom at night from spring until frost. When the plant freezes, it will "seem to disappear" with the roots alive, but dormant in the soil. In frost-free areas, it will bloom year-round. Around mid-morning, the flowers close or drop. The process of the flower head losing the ray florets is due to a change in temperature: as it gets hotter, the flower begins to turn white and then the ray florets begin to drop, leaving the green disc shape. The plant grows to be about 1–2 feet (30–60 cm) in height.
Range 9
In the United States, the species is native to Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In Mexico, it is native to Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Durango, Sonora, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes and Jalisco.
Cultivation 9
Berlandiera lyrata is a hardy perennial, cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is grown in gardens for the chocolate-like scent of its flowers. The chocolate odor can also be produced by plucking the ray florets from the flower head. To ensure that it will continue to bloom as long as possible, spent flowers should be removed.
It grows best in full sun locations. It is native to soil types that are dry, shallow and rocky such as sandy loams and limestone soils. It is known to grow along roadsides and in grasslands in the southwest United States. It is drought-tolerant. In heavy, wet soils, B. lyrata is subject to root rot. It can be grown in elevations as 7,000 feet. B. lyrata can be planted in areas that are mowed frequently and can be mowed itself.
The plant is propagated through seeds which can be collected from the plant itself and germinated outdoors from spring to fall.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Bob Shrader, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/pen-f-fan/47500680611/
- (c) southwestwanderer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by southwestwanderer
- (c) Cullen Hanks, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cullen Hanks
- (c) Joshua McDill, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/74215305@N00/7185606211
- (c) Maura Thoenes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Maura Thoenes
- (c) Eugenia - Tutor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eugenia - Tutor
- (c) Marv Elliott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Marv Elliott
- Adapted by Jeny Davis from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlandiera_lyrata
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlandiera_lyrata
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- Calflora
- CalPhotos
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Jepson eFlora
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- World Flora Online
