Xeranthemum (Xeranthemum l.) , or dried flower is an annual herbaceous flowering plant of the Compositae family. In decorative floriculture, it is mainly used as a cut flower.
- Family: Compositae.
- Homeland: southern regions of Europe.
- Rhizome: The roots are thin, spindle-shaped.
- Stem: upright.
- Leaves: sessile, alternate, linear.
- Fruit: seed.
- Reproductive ability: sowing seeds in the ground or for seedlings.
- Illumination: open sun.
- Watering: drought tolerant.
- Content temperature: thermophilic.
- Flowering time: from early summer to September.
Description of the xeranthemum flower
Xeranthemum (see photo below) is a plant with thin, straight branched stems 50-60 cm tall and a few oblong or linear sessile leaves 30 mm long, 2-7 mm wide. The stem and leaves are covered with soft white hairs.
Xeranthemum flower in the photo
Xeranthemum flower – a single basket up to 5 cm in diameter, hemispherical in shape, white, pink or purple in color, blooms at the end of the stem. It consists of small flowers surrounded by a multi-row involucre of the same color, with large petal-like hard membranous scales, the inner row of which is longer than the outer row and significantly exceeds the flowers in length.
The fruits are brown-brown achenes, wedge-shaped, with a small tuft, ripen at the end of summer. Seeds (in 1 g – up to 700 pieces) remain viable for 2-3 years.
In nature, the flower is found in Southern Europe and Asia Minor, prefers warm sunny places in rocky meadows, dry roadsides and vineyards. Its scientific name is translated from Greek as “dry flower”, which reflects the main decorative purpose of the plant.
It has been grown in culture since 1570, of the six existing species in gardens, one is found – xerantemum annual (X. Annuum).
Under natural conditions, xeranthemum flowers are usually non-double, while garden forms are mostly multi-flowered, double and semi-double. Basically, there are mixtures of various varieties on the market, but there are also several cultivars of French selection, among which the most famous are:
Rose, with pink terry inflorescences up to 3.5 cm in circumference;
Raspberry-purple Violet-purple with flowers up to 3 cm in size, is grown not only for dry bouquets, but also as a spectacular ground annual.
