This dainty, blue annual is an absolute delight when it comes into
flower. Upright and graceful, with small cups of bright blue flowers,
the plants appear to dance in a light breeze. In nature they are
found from Namaqualand to the Western Cape, often flowering in enormous
drifts and covering fields in clouds of blue. They are also often
found between other annuals like the Namaqualand daisies or ursinias.
The showy sunflax belongs to the mustard family (Brassicaceae),
as do cauliflowers and broccoli. In this family the plants often
taste and smell of mustard and sulphur. If you crush a sunflax,
it smells like a cauliflower.
Under good conditions, Heliophila coronopifolia grows bushy
and about 60 cm tall. The smooth stems and soft, slender leaves
are bright green. The blue flowers are arranged in little spikes
at the top of the stems. The four petals of the flower open wide
to display the white center with the pollen and stigma in the middle.
The flowers are quick to close during cool weather and at night.
The seedpods are long, splitting when the small brown seed are ripe.
Growing Heliophila coronopifolia
Inspite of their fragile appearance these little annuals have adapted
to grow and flower abundantly in areas known for their heat and
drought. Surviving the long dry summer as seed they germinate with
the autumn rains, which is also the time to sow them. The seed can
be scattered directly into garden beds or first sown in seedbeds
or seed trays. They should be planted out as soon as they are big
enough to handle. The seed germinates well, usually within a week.
The plants are easy to grow in the garden. They grow fast given
the right conditions of full sun, well-drained soil and regular
watering during the growing season. Heliophila look beautiful
planted densely, giving a mass of blue, or they can be interspersed
between other annuals, bulbs or shrubs.
Heliophila means sun loving. In South Africa there are 71
species of Heliophila most of them annuals naturally growing
throughout Namaqualand and the south western Cape. Although many
of them are similar to Heliophila coronopifolia with blue
flowers, there are also species with pink and white flowers.
Author: Liesl van der Walt