Southwest Plant of the Month – Orange zexmenia – Wedelia texana (Zexmenia hispida)
General Information
| Plant Form | Flower | Plant Size | 3′ x 2′ |
| Plant Type | Perennial | Water Usage | Low |
| Sunlight | Sun, Partial Shade | Flowers | Yellow |
Physical Description: Sub-shrub with coarse foliage forming rounded mound of long-stemmed, yellow sun flower-like blossoms. Blooms steadily from late spring to fall.
Care and Maintenance: Dies to ground with hard freeze. Sprawls in shade. Deadhead to maintain blooming.
Gardener’s Notes: Long lived, well behaved Chihuahuan native. Cultivar “Devils River” is commercially available. A hardier, tougher Chihuahuan relative, Jefea brevifolia (Zexmenia brevifolia) or Short-horn Zexmenia, has similar flowers on short stems and makes a low, rather tidy mound of small ovate leaves with a rough sandpaper texture but is not commercially available. The genus name Zexmenia was once misapplied to these plants in error but lingers as a common name.
Plant information from Southwest Yard & Garden Plant Advisor.