Midstorey

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Hoary sunray Leucochrysum albicans

When it flowers

Leucochrysum albicans near Licola, Victoria, Australia
Leucochrysum albicans near Licola, Victoria, Australia. Photo: Melburnian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Leucochrysum albicans subsp. alpinum. The Alpine Sunray. A spectacular everlasting flower, this flower is the smallest of all the alpine daisies. Kosciuszko National Park, NSW.
Leucochrysum albicans subsp. alpinum. The Alpine Sunray. A spectacular everlasting flower, this flower is the smallest of all the alpine daisies. Kosciuszko National Park, NSW.. Photo: CSIRO, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Leucochrysum albicans (A.Cunn.) Paul G.Wilson, Black Mountain, Canberra, ACT, 3 November 2011
Leucochrysum albicans (A.Cunn.) Paul G.Wilson, Black Mountain, Canberra, ACT, 3 November 2011. Photo: Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Silvery grassland daisy with white or yellow papery flowers in spring.

A small perennial from grassland and woodland of south-eastern Australia, with woolly grey leaves and papery daisies, yellow or white depending on the form. Suits meadow-style planting with native grasses.

In the garden

  • Rockery
  • Mass planting
  • Cut flowers
Leaves
Narrow, woolly, silver-grey leaves.
Attracts
Pollinating insects and butterflies
Flowers
Papery daisies, yellow or white, 3 to 4 cm across.

Growing conditions

Climate
Temperate and cool and alpine
Light
Full sun
Soil
Sandy, loam and clay
Drainage
Needs good drainage
Frost
Hard frost
Water
Very drought tolerant

Planting and care

Grown from
Seed

Planting

Full sun in well-drained soil. Plant among native grasses for a meadow look.

Pruning

Deadhead or cut back after flowering.

Care

Water in long dry spells. No heavy feeding needed.

Where it comes from

Family
Asteraceae
Order
Asterales
Native to
ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria
Natural range
Grassland and open woodland of south-eastern Australia.

Where to buy

Specialist native nurseries.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

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Further reading

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