Chrysogonum virginianum L. var. australe

Southern Green-and-Gold, Gulf Coast Green-and-Gold, Golden Knees, Golden Star

Green-and-Gold, of which there are several forms, is a hardy, low-growing, long-blooming herbaceous perennial found along woodland edges and clearings on the East coast from New York south to Florida and west to Louisiana. With attractive, semi-evergreen foliage, bright yellow 1.5-inch daisy-like flowers on fuzzy stalks for much of the growing season, and an unfussy attitude about soils (as long as they are well drained), Green-and-Gold is considered a work horse in the native garden. Wiith sufficient even moisture, it can take full sun but prefers protection, especially in the afternoon, and grows best in dappled or morning sun. Leaves are opposite, oval and softly pubescent with a crenate (round-toothed) margin. Flowering peaks in May, decreasing in the heat of summer and then flowering again late in the season. Weakley presents this form as Chrysogonum australe, a separate species (others consider it a natural variety of C. virginianum). It is found in Northern and central Georgia through the Florida panhandle to some counties in southern Alabama and Mississippi (“australe” means “southern”). It’s growth form is distinctly stoloniferous, with flowering stalks only 4-5 inches high, the stolons (above-ground rhizomes) up to 2 feet. ‘Eco-Laquered Spider’ is a cultivar of C. australe, and it is easily grown as a successful, attractive groundcover on its own or as a base for larger plants. The USDA plant distribution map linked below is for the variety australe.