Perennial
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Yellow daisies that genuinely smell like cocoa in the morning. Criminally underused.
- Pollinator
- Fragrant
- Native
- Deer-resistant
- Plant Select®
Quick facts
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 4–9
- Water
- Very low once established
- Sun
- Full sun
- Size
- 12–20 in. tall × 12–20 in. wide
- Bloom & interest
- Yellow daisies with a chocolate scent in the morning, late spring to fall
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Native range
- Native to the Southwest and southern Plains (CO, KS, NM, OK, TX, AZ)
- Plant Select
- Plant Select® recommended plant
Why we recommend it
A Southwestern native and Plant Select winner (2004) whose morning-scented cocoa flowers bloom for months on almost no water, with a unique fragrance and reliable pollinator draw.
Best regions: SouthwestHigh DesertFront RangeTexas
How to grow it
Watering to establish
Water weekly through the first summer; established plants need no supplemental water.
Pruning
Shear lightly in midsummer to tidy and refresh bloom; cut back in spring. Leave some seed heads if you want it to self-sow.
Soil
Lean, well-drained sandy, gravelly or clay-loam soil; deep taproot makes it hard to move once established.
Pairs well with
Read more
Where to buy
Shop Chocolate Flower from trusted growers. For the best selection of xeric plants, try a mail-order specialist or ask a local independent nursery.
- High Country Gardens (opens in a new tab)Xeric specialist
- Nature Hills Nursery (opens in a new tab)Wide selection
- American Meadows (opens in a new tab)Perennials & seeds
- Etsy (opens in a new tab)Small growers
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