Burgundy Starflower

This massive flower grows up to 16.5 feet (5.0 meters) tall. Its burgundy stem is wispy and splits into many branching stems halfway up, and the giant, lime green leaves are needle-like with rounded edges. Many leaves grow along the entire length of the stem.

A single large flower sits at the end of the stem. The flowers are 62 cm (24.4 inches) wide, with bronze petals on the lower layer and slate petals decorated with dark grey dots on the inner layer. The central disk is cyan. The flower head is shaped like a star made up of 17 widely spaced, round-tipped petals. They fall easily.

It has a scent that varies in strength that smells like a newborn baby, and it has lots of pollen; it can can cause allergic reactions. It is pollinated by insects and is particularly attractive to butterflies.