<previous next>

Golden Starflower

Flower type: Biennial (Stores water in its leaves)

This colossal flower grows up to 9.1 feet (2.8 meters) tall. Its yellow-green stems grow from the base of the plant in bunches of 4 and are thick and straight, and split into numerous branching stems three quarters of the way up, and the giant, red leaves are 6 pointed with wavy edges. Many leaves grow along the entire length of the stem.

3 to 7 medium-sized flowers grow on alternate sides up the length of the stem. The flowers are 76 cm (29.9 inches) wide, with petals that are aquamarine in the center, white in the middle and gold at the edges. The flower head is made up of many petals; the lower layer of petals are flat, while the upper layers form a tight star. They are sturdy.

It has a fairly strong scent that smells like sugar, and it has an average amount of pollen. It is a self-pollinator, but is also visited by one species of insect in particular.

It out-competes most other plants for nutrients and light.
It is almost impossible to grow from cuttings.
It is suitable for making baskets and the like