Overview
Bassia scoparia is a bushy annual herb growing 1-6 feet (30-180 cm) tall, with a dense, rounded to pyramidal outline and many slender, upright branches. The narrow, soft leaves are 0.5-2 inches (1-5 cm) long and crowded along the stems, light green in summer and turning red to burgundy in autumn. Tiny, petal-less green flowers form in the leaf axils and stem tips from mid to late summer, followed by large numbers of small seeds. At season's end the whole plant dries, often breaking off at the base to tumble and scatter seed in the wind. It grows in disturbed ground, fields, roadsides, and saline or alkaline soils, tolerating heat, drought, and poor fertility. Native to Eurasia, it is a widespread weed of rangeland and cropland in North America. The foliage can accumulate nitrates and oxalates that are toxic to livestock in quantity. Dense stands crowd out other plants and are hard to control once seed sets.
Native Range
Bassia scoparia is native to central and eastern Europe and temperate Asia. It has naturalized widely across North America, Australia, and other temperate regions as a weed of disturbed and saline ground. It grows in fields, roadsides, feedlots, and waste places.Suggested Uses
Sometimes grown as a fast summer hedge, screen, or bedding accent for its dense form and red autumn color. It is also used as emergency forage and for revegetating saline, disturbed soils. In many regions it is treated as a weed rather than an ornamental.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 6'
Width/Spread1' - 3'
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
light green turning redGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs
Drought Tolerance
Drought tolerant when established
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Summer-cypress grows in full sun in a wide range of soils, including poor, dry, saline, and alkaline ground, across a pH from 6.0 to 8.5. It germinates in warm soil and grows rapidly through summer, needing little water once established. As an annual it completes its cycle in one season and spreads only by seed, which a single plant produces in large numbers. Ornamental forms are spaced for a tidy outline and sheared lightly to shape. Where it is a weed, plants are removed before seed sets to limit spread. It needs no feeding in average soil.Pruning
Ornamental plants can be sheared lightly in summer to keep a dense, rounded shape. No other pruning is needed. Whole plants are pulled or cut at the end of the season, before the seed drops.Pruning Schedule
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
summer
⚠️ Toxicity Warning
Toxic to petsPlanting Guide
Planting Methods & Timing
Planting Method
direct sow
Days to Maturity
80–120 days
Plant Spacing
18 inches