Spilanthes is an ancient and fascinating annual native to Africa and South America. Its original distribution was split millions of years ago when the continents drifted apart, giving it a rich botanical history. This distinctively beautiful herb features a compact, mounding habit reaching about 12 inches tall and produces abundant yellow and red cone-shaped blooms, often called “eyeball” flowers. Perennial in Zones 10–12, Spilanthes is otherwise grown as an annual in cooler regions, maturing in about 120 days. The plant’s creeping and mounding habit produces richly crimson and yellow flowers in summer, thriving in full sun and fertile, well-composted soil.
Variety Details
Botanical name:Spilanthes acmella
Plant type: Annual
Growth habit: Low Growing
Crop category: Vegetable
Kitchen profile: This easy-to-grow herb is suited to garden beds, borders, and containers, attracting pollinators and adding ornamental value while offering unique culinary and herbal uses.
Recorded feature: Container Compatible
Product format: Seed packet
Sowing & Growing
Light: Full Sun
Planting season: Spring
Starting location: Direct Sow
Use the product-specific sowing figures for Spilanthes as the starting point, then adjust timing to local soil temperature and frost conditions. Prepare the bed before planting, preserve the recorded spacing, and evaluate moisture at root depth instead of following a universal calendar. Watch development as the stated maturity window approaches and harvest at the size, texture, or color preferred for the crop. Label the row with the sowing date so actual performance can inform future plantings.
Before sowing Spilanthes, review the packet alongside the current product details and note any range in temperature, germination, or maturity. Ranges reflect biological and seasonal variation rather than a fixed promise. Label each planting with its date and location, then compare emergence, growth, and harvest with local weather. This record is useful for succession plantings and for deciding whether the crop fits better into an earlier or later seasonal window.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended todiagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
