Rose heath is a small, low perennial herb from dry western North America and northern Mexico, with tiny white or pinkish daisy-like flowers. It thrives in hot, dry, open ground with sharp drainage.
Family
Asteraceae (Daisy family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly and let the soil dry out between waterings.
Soil
Lean, gritty, well-drained soil or sandy mix.
Temperature
15–35 °C; tolerates cold to about -10 °C when dry in winter.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
WC. & C. U.S.A. to Mexico
Climate
temperate
About
Chaetopappa ericoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names rose heath and heath-leaved chaetopappa. It is native to the southwestern and western Great Plains regions of the United States, plus northern Mexico. It is found in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, and Nuevo León.
Chaetopappa ericoides is a petite perennial herb reaching heights between 5 and 15 centimeters (2–6 inches). The hairy, glandular stem grows from a woody caudex and branches several times. The green leaves are up to about a centimeter long and are glandular and bristly. The tiny flower head is 1 or 2 centimeters wide with white or pinkish ray florets around a center of yellow disc florets.
Uses
Among the Zuni people, an infusion of whole pulverized plant applied is rubbed on the body for the pain from a cold, swellings, and rheumatism. A warm infusion of the plant is also taken to hasten parturition.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chaetopappa ericoides 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.