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Berlandiera lyrata
Also called Chocolate Flower, Chocolate Daisy, Lyre Leaf Greeneyes
Lyreleaf greeneyes (Berlandiera lyrata) is a North American daisy-family perennial grown for its chocolate-scented yellow flowers and its drought tolerance. Give it full sun and well-drained, dry soil, and avoid heavy wet ground, which causes root rot.
Berlandiera lyrata, with the common names chocolate flower, chocolate daisy, or lyreleaf greeneyes, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. 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.
This plant is particularly notable for its distinct chocolate-like fragrance, especially during the early morning hours, making it popular in sensory gardens and pollinator habitats. Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, Berlandiera lyrata is drought-tolerant and thrives in arid, rocky soils. Its bright yellow flowers not only add visual appeal but also attract various pollinators, including bees and butterflies, playing an important ecological role in supporting local biodiversity.
B. 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 US. It is drought-tolerant. In heavy, wet soils, B. lyrata is subject to root rot. B. lyrata can be planted in areas that are mowed frequently and can be mowed itself.
In the United States, the species is native to Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Arkansas. In Mexico, it is native to Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Durango, Sonora, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes and Jalisco. It prefers the U.S. Department of Agriculture's hardiness zones of 4 to 9, and can be grown in elevations as high as 2,100 m (7,000 ft). It can usually be found in grassy areas and rocky soil.
The flower head is known to attract beneficial insects to the garden.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Berlandiera lyrata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
