Ammobium alatum
Winged Everlasting
Here's an odd little Australian plant with very cheerful flowers. The
winged part
of the plant is the stem, which is so strange looking that is seems
artificial. Although the wings might seem to make this an Air plant,
the flower shape is classic Sun. Sun plants
are good for protection and for prosperity. I think they work because
they just make you feel good to look at them, and when you feel good,
you tend to do good. These plants tend to clump and make a good border plant,
which is great for a protective herb. Winged everlastings also
attract bees and butterflies.
The flowers appear all summer on long stems held above the rosettes of
pale green or fuzzy leaves (fuzziness is going to depend on how dry your climate
is). They make a good cut or dried flower, and you can usually get several
harvests from one plant during the season. When dried, the central yellow
disk will darken. Some people don't like that and so they cut the
flower for drying when it is just beginning to open; that way, the
flower only opens partially and shows only white. Others like the
golden brown color that the central disks dry to, so they harvest the flowers
when the yellow disk is just beginning to show. Either way, hang the
flowers upside-down in a dark room to dry. This plant is perennial only in very
warm climates, but it will reseed readily and can even be invasive in some
areas. This is
the wild version of this plant. It's one of the easiest to germinate of
the dried flowers (another dried flower candidate is baby's breath).
This plant is also known as the sandflower.
How to Grow Winged Everlasting
The seed germinates in 4-6 days, 60-70F/16-20C. Start this seed in
small pots and set the plants out in partial to full sun and somewhat
sandy soil after danger of frost. The plant gets 24-48in/60-120cm tall.
Space them space 18-24in/45-60cm apart. Winged everlasting is a tender
perennial, so it's perennial in warm areas (zones 7-11); elsewhere,
grow it as an annual and collect the seeds to replant in spring or
allow it to reseed.
General
growing info
All text on this site © 2004, 2005 Alchemy Works; No reproduction of any kind without permission
Uses in Witchcraft & Magick:
Honoring