Overview
Filago germanica is an erect annual herb growing 2-12 inches (5-30 cm) tall, with the whole plant densely clothed in white woolly hairs that give it a grey, felted appearance. The stem is usually unbranched below and forks near the top into two or three branches. Narrow lanceolate leaves, 0.2-0.8 inch (5-20 mm) long, are woolly on both surfaces and held erect against the stem. Tiny flower heads gather into rounded terminal clusters of 20-35 heads, each cluster 0.2-0.5 inch (5-12 mm) wide and wrapped in woolly bracts with yellowish tips. The individual florets are pale yellow and barely emerge from the wool. Flowering runs through midsummer, after which the plant sets numerous small dry single-seeded fruits dispersed by wind. The species completes its life cycle within a single growing season, germinating in spring and dying after seeding. It colonizes dry, open, disturbed ground and is short-lived and easily overlooked among taller vegetation. The dense woolly covering is an adaptation to drought and exposure on sandy and gravelly soils.
Native Range
Native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, Filago germanica grows on dry, sandy, and gravelly open ground, arable margins, heaths, and disturbed waste places. It has been introduced to parts of North America and Australia.Suggested Uses
Seldom cultivated, it appears in naturalistic, gravel, and wildflower plantings on dry open ground. It supports small pollinating insects in summer. The woolly seed heads can be dried for craft arrangements.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height2" - 1'
Width/Spread2" - 4"
Bloom Information
Flowering occurs in summer, mainly July to August. The small pale yellow florets are wind- and self-pollinated and barely protrude from the surrounding wool. Dry single-seeded fruits ripen shortly after and are dispersed by wind.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Grey-green, densely white-woollyGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
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
Water & Climate
Water Needs
Drought Tolerance
Drought tolerant when established