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Barbara's Buttons

Marshallia obovata

Barbara's buttons holds a neat basal rosette of smooth, spoon-shaped leaves and sends up nearly naked stalks topped by a single domed head of white flowers — a puff of narrow curled florets with no rays at all, so a composite that looks nothing like a daisy. The effect is closer to a small scabious, and the heads carry a light sweet scent. It grows in thin soils over rock and in the open pine woods and roadside remnants of the Southeast, habitats fire historically kept open. It stays under two feet, never runs, and holds its rosette green through winter. Butterflies and small bees work the heads heavily. It is uncommon and declining with fire suppression, so it is a plant to buy nursery-propagated rather than collect.

Family

Asteraceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1–2 ft

Spacing

0.5–1 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic

Bloom

April, May, June

Bloom colors

white

Wildlife value

pollinators, butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds

Landscape uses

border

Native states

AL, FL, GA, LA, NC, SC, TN, VA