Damianita

Chrysactinia mexicana

Hills guide picknative · Hill Country

Damianita is a perennial native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 1 ft tall and 1.5–2 ft wide. It wants full sun and very low water, and handles caliche and clay soil. Blooms yellow in Mar–Nov. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Deer rarely browse it. Good for bees, birds, butterflies, nectar insects and small mammals.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Low evergreen mound of fine aromatic needle-like foliage, smothered in golden-yellow daisies in spring and again after rain.

Why it works here

Evergreen texture plus repeat bloom on pure limestone with no irrigation. Deer generally leave the aromatic foliage alone.

Watch out

Requires excellent drainage. Overwatering is the only reliable way to kill it.

The facts

6 sources

Type: Perennial
Sun: Full sun (6+ hrs)
Water: Very low
Height: 1 ft
Spread: 1.5–2 ft
Bloom: Mar–Nov · yellow
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes caliche and clay · recorded on caliche, dry, limestone, loam, sand, well drained
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it. Strongly aromatic
Wildlife: Supports bees, birds, butterflies, nectar insects and small mammals

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau Woodland

575 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

In the Village of the Hills guide, but not on the grower stock lists we read yet. Ask a native-plant nursery.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.