Starflowers February 1974.pdf
Subject:
Focus on Floriculture Vol 2 #1
Abstract:
Information on "Starflower" or "Skyrocket" so popular now, is almost impossible to find. The plant is not listed in Bailey's Cyclopedia, Bailey's Hortus II, or popular works such as Everett's Encyclopedia of Gardening. Dr. Peter Hyypio1 recently sent us the story. "Starflower" belongs to the genus Syngonanthus (the "Shoe-Buttons" (1)), and the common small type we see is probably S. niveus. The genus belongs to the family Eriocaulaceae, the Pipewort family (1). These are monocots, not dicots, thus are very far afield from "Strawflower" (Helichrysum) in the Compositae. The flowers are borne in heads and are unisexual, although pistillate and staminate flowers occur in the same head, Each flower is subtended by a chafflike bract. The heads terminate a leafless stem (1).
Keywords: Syngonanthus S. niveus. Eriocaulaceae Monocots unisexual
Libraries: Floriculture