Practical
Plants

Cotula coronopifolia

Brass Buttons

an annual or perennial member of the Cotula genus in the family Compositae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Cotula
Life cycle
annual, perennial
Height
0.1 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A brassy gold dye is obtained from the whole plant[2].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
S. Africa. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[3].
Habitat
Marshland in Britain[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - where possible, sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stand the pot in 2cm of water in order to keep the soil moist. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Division of rooted pieces in the spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A marginal plant for the shallow edges of ponds, bog gardens and waterside plantings[5], it succeeds in ordinary soil[1]. Plants are short-lived perennials[4]. The whole plant, when handled, releases an aromatic, pungent smell[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

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  3. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

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  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  6. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

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