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Silver Starflower

Flower type: Biennial (Grows along the ground or other low surfaces.)

This average-sized flower grows up to 1.8 feet (56 cm) tall. Its gray stems grow from the base of the plant in bunches of 3 and are very thin and straight, and split into several branching stems a quarter of the way up, and the small, green leaves are pleated with smooth edges. Many leaves grow at the base of the stem, and more leaves grow in pairs along the length of the stem.

Each stem splits 3 to 9 times; a single giant flower grows at the end of each split. The flowers are 20 cm (7.9 inches) wide, with solid silver petals and a magenta central disk. The flower head is shaped like a star made up of handfuls of raised, round-tipped petals. They are hardy.

It has a strong scent that smells like lemon, and it has a modest amount of pollen. It is pollinated by a small species of bird, but is also particularly attractive to bees.

It aggressively steals nutrients from other large plants (but not each other).
It is possible to grow it from cuttings.
It is suitable for making baskets and the like