Ballota acetabulosa
| Ballota acetabulosa | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Native to: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ballota acetabulosa
Propagation: Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring[1]. Larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.
Cuttings of semi-ripe wood in the summer[2].
Cultivation: Requires a very well-drained position in full sun[3][2][1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[4]. Tolerates poor soils[1]. Best grown in a hot dry position with some protection given from severe frosts[1]. Usually found on alkaline soils in the wild, it tolerates a pH down to 5 in cultivation[1].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[1].
Plants are best pruned back to the ground in spring before new growth commences[2].
Plants are generally untroubled by pests and diseases[1].
This species is closely related to B. pseudodictamnus[1].
Range: S. Europe - Greece.
Habitat: Rocks and rough ground in dry hills to 900 metres[5].
Usage: The calyces are used as floating wicks in oil lamps[5][6][7]. The calyx is placed on the surface of the oil and soon becomes saturated with oil. It is then lit.
Plants can be grown as a ground cover, forming a slowly spreading clump[8].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press, 1987.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Niebuhr, Alta. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America, 1970.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.