Lemon Beauty Heads

Calocephalus citreus

This beautiful little perennial herb is one of my favourite garden plants.  It grows in open grassland that can be seasonally inundated, and so can tolerate wet conditions as well as extended dry periods. Its natural habitat ranges from Queensland to New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

In Tasmania, it is rare and endangered, and populations are limited to only a few locations.  In the garden, it requires well-drained soil and will grow in a range of soil types in full sun to part shade.  Its low clumping silvery foliage grows to about 30cm x 50cm with pert wiry foliage and cylindrical lemon flowers that dry well and can be used in floral arrangements.