Pulicaria crispaDesert Fleabane

The Pulicaria crispa, commonly known as the Desert Fleabane, is a low, strongly aromatic subshrub of the gravel plains and wadi beds of Arabia and the Sahara. It forms a compact grey-green mound of small crisped leaves, covered through much of the year with small bright yellow daisy flowerheads.

It is a familiar plant of the open desert floor, aromatic enough to be noticed as you walk past it and tough enough to flower without irrigation. It is used as native ground layer, in low-water beds and in restoration seeding.

Specifications

• Height0.2 to 0.6 metres
• Width0.4 to 0.8 metres
• Native toThe Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Pakistan
• FoliageSmall, crisped, grey-green aromatic leaves held densely on a low woody base; semi-deciduous in drought
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers gravelly and sandy soils with free drainage; tolerates poor and alkaline ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant and adapted to survive on desert rainfall
• ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions across Arabia and north Africa

Additional Features

• FlowersSmall bright yellow daisy flowerheads carried freely over a long season, heaviest after rain
• UsesNative ground layer, low-water bed and verge planting, restoration seeding on gravel plains and wadi beds
• SpacingPlant 0.4 to 0.6 metres apart for a continuous low mass
• Low MaintenanceTrim after the main flowering flush to hold a compact habit; no irrigation required once established
• Pest ResistanceFree of significant pest and disease problems
• Drought ToleranceVery high, dying back in extreme drought and recovering quickly after rain
• FragranceThe foliage is strongly aromatic when brushed or crushed, a defining characteristic of the species
• Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked by bees and other pollinating insects across a long season

The Desert Fleabane brings genuine native flower colour and scent to the ground layer of a dryland scheme.