Desmanthus illinoensis seed
NAME: Illinois Bundle
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Bundleflower / Prairie Bundleflower / Prairie Mimosa
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Desmanthus Illinoensis
PLANT SEEDS: Outdoors after frost / Indoors weeks before last frost
BLOOM TIME: June – Aug
HARDINESS ZONE: 4 – 9
PLANT HEIGHT: 48 – 60″
PLANT SPACING: 18 – 24″
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Sun
SOIL & WATER PREFERENCES: Average – Dry
It can grow in rocky or almost any soil. It is a legume, so can help fix the nitrogen in your soil. The leathery pods form in “bundles” in late summer – fall, opening to reveal large seeds for the birds to enjoy.
It is actually considered to be a legume so it fixates nitrogen and improves the soil. It is a deep-rooted perennial that is a native throughout the plains and prairies of the United States. Illinois Bundleflower plants grow 24 – 48 inches tall, has attractive, fern-like foliage and the flowers are round, puffy and white. It late summer, brown bundles of seed pods, 20 – 30, curve around each other to form a cluster or a bundle. Illinois Bundleflower seed pods are easy to identify and add interest to a landscape.
Sow Illinois Bundleflower seeds directly outdoors. In prepared soil, sow flower seed and rake loose dirt over. Keep the flower seeds moist until germination. Illinois Bundleflower plants will drop their own flower seeds.