Dahlberg Daisy, Golden Fleece, Shooting Star

The Dahlberg daisy is a wonderful little daisy-like flower for the spring and summer garden. Thymophylla tenuiloba, pictured below, is a branching annual of the Asteraceae family with almost fern-like, pinnatisect, pungent leaves, 3/8in long, with 7-15 long, linear lobes. From spring to summer, it produces upturned, star-shaped, bright yellow flowerheads, to 1/2in across. The plant will grow 12in high and as wide.

Plant Facts:

Common Name:   Dahlberg Daisy, Golden Fleece, Shooting Star

Botanical Name:   Thymophylla tenuiloba syn. Dyssodia tenuiloba

Family:  Asteraceae

Plant Type:  Annual, erect to spreading, bushy, strongly aromatic

Origin: From the dry slopes and prairies in the US, Mexico, and Central America

Zones: 3 - 11

Height:  12"

Rate of Growth: Fast

Salt Tolerance: Low

Soil Requirements:  Well drained, moderately fertile

Water Requirements: Moderate drought tolerance

Nutritional Requirements: Balanced liquid fertilizer weekly for best growth and flower production

Light Requirements: Full sun

Form:  Erect bushy sub-shrub

Leaves:  Almost fern-like, pinnatisect, pungent leaves, 3/8in long, with 7-15 long, linear lobes.

Flowers: Upturned, star-shaped, bright yellow flowerheads, to 1/2in across

Fruits:

Pests or diseases:  None

Uses:  Summer bedding, container, or hanging basket

Bad Habits: 

Cost:  $ -- Very reasonable

Propagation:  Sow seed in situ, or plant from nursery flats in mid to late-spring

Sources:  A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants