Midstorey

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Drumsticks Pycnosorus globosus

Also called Billy buttons

Previously known as Craspedia globosa

When it flowers

Native, cool season, perennial, stout, silvery-white herb with several flowering peduncles to 120 cm tall. Leaves are cauline and basal, linear, usually 10–30 cm long and 4–12 mm wide. Flowerheads ar…
Native, cool season, perennial, stout, silvery-white herb with several flowering peduncles to 120 cm tall. Leaves are cauline and basal, linear, usually 10–30 cm long and 4–12 mm wide. Flowerheads ar…. Photo: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pycnosorus globosus photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne (Melbourne, Australia) in December
Pycnosorus globosus photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne (Melbourne, Australia) in December. Photo: Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pycnosorus globosus photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne (Melbourne, Australia) in December
Pycnosorus globosus photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne (Melbourne, Australia) in December. Photo: Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Silver-leaved daisy with perfectly round golden flower balls on tall stems.

A clumping perennial from inland eastern Australia. Its silvery leaves form a low tuft, and tall, bare stems carry round golden balls in spring and summer. A favourite in fresh and dried arrangements.

In the garden

  • Pots and containers
  • Mass planting
  • Cut flowers
Attracts
Pollinating insects and butterflies
Flowers
Round golden-yellow flower heads, 2 to 3 cm across, on tall stems.
Leaves
Narrow, silvery-grey, woolly leaves in a basal tuft.

Growing conditions

Light
Full sun
Soil
Sandy, loam and clay
Drainage
Copes with occasional wet
Frost
Moderate frost
Water
Very drought tolerant
Climate
Subtropical, arid and semi-arid and temperate

Planting and care

Grown from
Seed and division

Planting

Full sun. Space 40 cm apart.

Pruning

Cut stems for the vase; remove spent stems to the base.

Care

Water in long dry spells. No heavy feeding needed.

Where it comes from

Family
Asteraceae
Order
Asterales
Native to
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria
Natural range
Inland plains and floodplains of eastern Australia.

Where to buy

Widely available.

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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