Fine workmanship of chamomile, wheat stalk and chrysanthemum

Latin name: Helichrysumbracteatum

Aliases: wheat stem chrysanthemum, shellfish

Family and genus: Compositae

Place of origin:

It is native to Australia and is now cultivated all over the world.

Characteristics:

Herbaceous, plant height 70-120 cm, stem stout, rough, seemingly hairy, leaf blade striate or lanceolate, inflorescence solitary branch apex, flower diameter 3-6 cm, disk margin petals multi-layered involucral bracts around apical inflorescence, outer bracts short, arranged into imbricate, inner bracts elongated into petal-like, reddish or yellow, base thickened greenish, dry and hard, similar to wheat stalk. Florets gather into a yellow disk, about 2 cm in diameter. The colors are white, light red, rose red, purple red, as well as light yellow, deep yellow to deep jujube.

Habits:

I like a warm and sunny environment.

Do not tolerate drought and avoid extreme heat. When the sun is insufficient and flourishing, the growth is poor or stops growing, and the flowering is poor or few.

Like moist, fertile and well-drained soil, suitable for clayey loam.

Reproduction and cultivation:

Reproduce by sowing. The seeds can be sowed in the open seedbed in spring or in the hotbed or greenhouse in early spring. The optimum temperature for germination is about 15-20 ℃. After sowing, the soil cover should not be thick, it should be unearthed for about a week and sprouted neatly. After one transplant, the seedlings can be colonized when they have 7-8 leaves. In order to promote branching and blossom more, the heart can be removed for 2 or 3 times during the growing period. After sowing, after about 3 months of cultivation, it can begin to bloom, the single flowering period can be as long as 1 month, and each plant can blossom for 3-4 months. Seeds should be harvested in time to prevent them from falling. Seeds should be dried in the shade after harvest and stored in a low temperature and dry place. The life span of seeds is more than 2 to 3 years.

The method of collecting dried flowers:

Before the flowers are half-blooming, cut the branches, remove the leaves and hang them upside down in a dry, cool and ventilated place.

Purpose:

The color is gorgeous and bright, after drying, the flower shape and color remain unchanged for a long time, so it is most suitable to be cut as a "dried flower" for indoor decoration in winter.

The dwarf variety of Chrysanthemum morifolium can be used as flower bed material or pot ornamental.

Jane