Heterotheca subaxillaris
Origin: Cape Charles, Virginia
Improvement status: Wild
Seeds per packet: ~50
Germination tested 12/2023: 56%
Life cycle: Annual, Biennial, or Short-Lived Perennial
Also called "Mexican Arnica," this is a powerfully medicinal native annual, used most often as a topical anti-inflammatory. The foliage has a strong camphorous aroma (think Vicks VapoRub). Plants are erect and spreading, appearing as a small shrub by the end of summer. They feature pretty yellow flowers on pale-green plants. Beneficial lacewings are attracted to the plant.
EFN co-founder Nate Kleinman collected these seeds from wild plants growing on the edge of sandy dunes in Cape Charles, Virginia, on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
GROWING TIPS: Seeds produced in the center of the flower and on the edge of the flower germinate at different times in nature, but our seeds germinated at 88%, so we expect you will have good germination as well. Surface sow in spring or fall and keep moist until established.
