Leucophyta brownii

Subshrub perennial of the Asteraceae family, native to southern Australia, particularly the coasts and areas exposed to sea winds of Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. It naturally grows on coastal dunes, cliffs, and poor sandy soils, swept by saline winds.

It forms a dense, intricate bush, highly branched, 30 to 60 cm in height, whose most striking feature is the silvery white to pearly gray color of the entire plant — stems, branches, and leaves — due to a dense woolly coating. The leaves are reduced to tiny appressed scales, almost indiscernible, giving the threadlike stems an appearance of intertwined silver thread.

The flower heads are small, yellowish, discreet, grouped in small terminal glomerules. The flowering is secondary to the interest of the plant, whose value lies almost entirely in its highly graphic silvery architecture.

In its natural environment, its flowering extends from the austral summer, from December to February. In cultivation under our latitudes, it behaves like a rock garden or potted plant, requiring perfect drainage, full sun, and winter protection in cold climates. It is moderately frost resistant.