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Cassinia spp.

cottonwood

Asteraceae Australia and New Zealand

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Drought Tolerant Fragrant (light)

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 8–10

Overview

Cassinia spp. is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the aster family (Asteraceae), native mainly to Australia with a few species in New Zealand. Most form upright, twiggy bushes 2-10 feet (0.6-3 m) tall and 2-8 feet (0.6-2.4 m) wide, with narrow leaves that are green above and often white-woolly beneath, releasing a resinous scent when bruised. Through summer the branch tips carry dense, flat or rounded clusters of many tiny papery flower heads in cream, white, or soft pink, each head holding only a few florets. The dried heads hold their shape and colour for weeks. The genus grows in heath, dry open woodland, and disturbed ground on poor, sandy or rocky soils, and several species spring up quickly after fire or clearing as pioneer shrubs. This pioneering vigour means some, such as Cassinia arcuata, are treated as woody weeds on overgrazed land. Plants are short-lived and can look sparse and twiggy with age, and they need sharp drainage and sun to do well.

Native Range

The genus is native to Australia, where most of the roughly twenty species occur, with a few extending to New Zealand. The plants grow in heathland, dry sclerophyll forest, grassland, and disturbed roadsides, usually on low-fertility sandy or stony soils.

Suggested Uses

Plants are used in dry native gardens, coastal and exposed sites, and low-water borders on poor soils. The persistent papery flower heads are also cut for dried arrangements. Several species feature in habitat and revegetation plantings on disturbed or sandy ground.

How to Identify

Look for a wiry evergreen shrub with small narrow leaves, often grey-green above and white and woolly underneath, that smell resinous when crushed. The branch tips carry crowded clusters of very small, papery, straw-textured flower heads in white, cream, or pink. The dried clusters persist on the bush long after flowering and rustle in the wind.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2' - 10'

Width/Spread2' - 8'

Reaches mature size in approximately 4 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Summer

Flowering comes in summer, around December to February in the native range, when the branch ends fill with massed tiny heads. The papery flowers hold their colour for several weeks and dry in place rather than dropping. Wind and small insects move the pollen, and small seeds with a tuft of bristles follow.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

cream to white

Foliage Description

grey-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-10 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

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-4 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Plants grow in full sun on light, sharply drained sandy or rocky soil with a slightly acid to neutral pH of 5.0 to 7.0. The genus withstands drought, wind, and poor ground once established and resents heavy, wet, or rich soils. Light frost is tolerated by hardier species, though the genus suits warm-temperate and frost-free gardens overall. A trim after flowering keeps plants denser, as they grow open and twiggy with age. Most species are short-lived, lasting several years before they decline, and are renewed from cuttings or seed. Few pests trouble them in open, airy positions.

Pruning

A light prune after flowering removes spent heads and holds a denser, more compact shape. Older plants can be cut back harder into leafy wood to renew them, though they do not always reshoot from bare stems. Dead and straggly branches are taken out at the base.