Written by Maggie
May 07 2021
Botanical Name | Centaurea americana |
Common Name | Basket flower, basket-flower, American basketflower, American starthistle |
Plant Type | Annual, herb |
Mature Size | 2-4 ft. tall, 2-3 ft. wide |
Sun Exposure | Full sun |
Flower Color | Lavender, pink, purple, white |
Hardiness Zones | 3 - 9, USA |
Native Area | North America |
Basket flowers are annual or biennial, 30 -- 70 cm or more tall, erect, branched from middle, rarely unbranched.All stem branches gray white, by thin spider filamentous curly hair.Basal leaf and lower stem leaves long elliptical oblanceolate or lanceolate, not divided, edge no serrate or entire margin sparsely serrate to split the big feather, lateral lobes 1-3, long elliptic-lanceolate, linear lanceolate or linear, margin entire without jagged, lobes larger, long elliptical oblanceolate or lanceolate, small serrated edge.The central stem
Basket flower leaves linear, broadly linear, or linear-lanceolate, 4 -- 9 cm long, 4 -- 8 mm wide, apically acuminate, basally cuneate, without petiole margin entire without serrate, upper stem and leaves homomorpous to middle, but tapering.All the two sides of the stem and leaves heterochromatic or nearly heterochromatic, green or grayish green above, by sparse spider silk hair or depilate, below grayish white, by thin villi.
Basket flowers are heads and many or a few are arranged in corymbs or panicles at the top of the stems and branches.Involucral bracts elliptic, 1-1.5 cm in diam., sparsely silky.Involucral bracts about 7 layers, all involucral bracts elliptic from outside to inside, long elliptic, outer and middle layers including apical appendage 3 -- 6 mm long, 2 -- 4 mm wide, inner layers including apical appendage 1 -- 11 cm long, 3 -- 4 mm wide.All bracts have pale brown or white appendages apically, larger middle and outer appendages, larger inner appendages, all appendages extending short along the bracts, margin fimbriate serrate.MARGIN LARGER, LONGER THAN CENTRAL DISC, BLUE, WHITE, RED, OR PURPLE, Eaves 5-8 lobed, DISC Pale blue or red.
Basket flower achenes elliptic, 3 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, pinstriped, thinly white pubescent.Crest white or light earth-red, 2 rows, outer row multilayer, gradually lengthened to the inner layer, up to 3 mm, inner row 1 layer, very short;All crown hairs are rigid and hairy.
Basket flowers are adaptable, like full sun and can't tolerate dampness. They must be planted in a sunny, well-drained area or they will often die from dampness.More cold, like cold, avoid heat.Basket flowers like fertile, loose, well drained sandy soils.
Basket flowers have tall, straight plants and long pedicels that make them suitable for cut flowers and for flower-diameter materials. The short plant is only 20 cm high, can be used for flower beds, grass edge or potted flower ornamental. Large areas of natural vegetation. High - type varieties can be arranged in accordance with other grass flower beds and flower borders.It can also be planted along the road or on the lawn, with elegant plants and beautiful flowers. It is very natural.Can also do cut flowers.