Coastal Tidytips
Layia platyglossa

Family: Asteraceae or Compositae

What it is like

Layia platyglossa is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) at a fast rate. It is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Grassy flats by the coast, below 100 metres.

South-western N. America - California.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Seed - cooked. It can be used as a piñole, or can be ground into a powder and used with other ground seeds in a mush or porridge..

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

A fast-growing plant, it succeeds in ordinary garden soils and also in poor soils. It requires a very well-drained soil, preferring to grow on a dry sunny bank. A frost tender annual, it does not thrive in areas with hot humid summers.

Propagating it: Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. Alternatively, if you have sufficient seed it is possible to sow in situ during April/May.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness:

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Blepharipappus platyglossus.