1. Nevin’s Sunflower/Catalina Silverlace – Constancea/ Eriophyllum nevinii
(con STAN-see-uh (er-ee-oh-FIL-um) nev-IN-ee-eye)
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)
Native to: S. Channel Islands (Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, San Clemente Islands); rocky coastal
bluffs, coastal sage scrub.
semi-woody shrub
mature height: 2-4 ft.
mature width: 2-4 ft.
Mounded shrub with white/gray lacy foliage. Branches herbaceous, arising from a woody stem.
Young growth covered with dense white hairs. Looks like an elegant ‘Dusty Miller’. Widely available
cultivar ‘Canyon Silver’ comes from Santa Barbara Channel Islands.
Growth characteristics:
Blooms April-Aug. Flowers are golden-yellow in clusters above the foliage. Seed
heads turn attractive dark brown in fall.
Blooms/fruits:
Uses in the garden: Small size makes it good as foundation plant or for mid-bed in mixed flower
beds. Looks great in a silver garden, and wonderful accent with other shrubs. Works well with other
Channel Island natives such as Ceanothus leucodermis, Epilobium ‘Catalina’, Eriogonum giganteum,
and Romneya coulteri. Relatively deer tolerant and good for fire-prone areas.
Sensible substitute for: Non-native Dusty Millers, Lavender Cotton (Santolina), white-foliage shrubs
Attracts: Excellent nectar source for bees and butterflies.
Requirements:
Element
Sun
Soil
Water
Fertilizer
Other
Requirement
Full sun (best) to part-shade
Any well-drained
Low needs once established; needs no summer water in coastal gardens
Low needs
For a dense plant with good form it is best to give a hard pruning in late fall or
winter as new growth emerges.
Management:
Propagation:
from seed:
probably
by cuttings:
semi-soft wood cuttings of new growth in
summer/fall
Plant/seed sources (see list for source numbers): 1, 2, 3, 8, 13, 14
11/27/10
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