If you
want a plant that attracts butterflies try some tithonia or Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). These stately plants are a magnet for
butterflies and other pollinators and also look great in the border. They are large plants, easily 6 feet or more
tall and 2-3 feet wide so make sure you leave plenty of room for them.
Tithonia
is related to the sunflower and is native to Mexico and Central America. It’s an annual plant so it can be grown in
almost any garden although since it’s a late season bloomer northern gardeners
may want to start it inside 6-8 weeks before the last frost. ( In frost free areas tithonia is a short
lived perennial.)
The
leaves of tithonia are oval to triangular in shape, rough feeling, with hairs
on the backside. Some leaves may be
lobed, and the leaves have a serrated edge.
The plant makes thick stalks with several branches. In moderately fertile soils, with full sun
and on the dry side the plants generally support themselves. In wetter, very fertile soil some staking may
be needed.
The
flowers of tithonia are daisy like and normally bright, flaming orange,
although yellow varieties exist. (Tithonia
diversifolia has yellow flowers and is sometimes found in catalogs.) They
are about 5 inches across and have a raised center clump of yellow
stamens. They begin blooming in
mid-summer and bloom until frost.
Tithonia seeds look like small sunflower seeds and are enjoyed by birds.
Tithonia
seeds are easy to start and in many areas plants are hard to come by so
gardeners will probably need to start them from seed. You can start them where they are to grow or
start them inside in pots 6-8 weeks before your last frost is expected. Plant tithonia seeds or plants outside after
the danger of frost has passed. Thin
plants to at least 2 feet apart – they grow quickly and become quite large.
Tithonia
will grow in almost any soil, as long as it’s well drained. They will tolerate partial shade in the south
but bloom best everywhere in full sun.
They will tolerate dry conditions quite well. Fertilization is seldom needed and plants
that are fertilized or grown in very rich soil tend to be floppy and have fewer
flowers.
Few
insect or disease problems are noted in tithonia although Japanese beetles and
slugs sometimes bother them. Keep plants
dead headed to prolong bloom.
Herbal and other uses of tithonia
Besides
drawing butterflies and looking beautiful tithonia makes a good cut
flower. In Mexico the plants are fed to
rabbits and goats. There are no known
human food uses and the taste of the plant is said to be very bitter. Dried stems are used as fuel. Tithonia can be
grown as a living fence and is said to be a good cover crop to improve soil.
Indigenous
uses for the plant include a malaria treatment from leaf extracts. Modern medical studies found that plant
extracts killed 50-75% of malaria parasites in the blood. Also an essential oil made from the leaves
did have some effect on repelling mosquitoes.
An 80%
ethanol extract of the leaves was found in one clinical study to lower blood
glucose. Leaf extracts were also found
to have antibacterial properties.
Folk
remedies for tithonia also include it’s use on wounds to reduce swelling and
pain from inflammation, for constipation, stomach pain and indigestion and for
sore throats.
Caution: the reason tithonia extracts have not been
widely used in modern medicines is that chemicals in the plant have been found
to damage the liver and kidneys even in moderate doses. Leave experimenting with this plant to
experts.
No comments:
Post a Comment