fivehorn smotherweed
Bassia hyssopifolia · Chenopodiaceae
fivehorn smotherweed (Bassia hyssopifolia) is a annual herbaceous plant in the Chenopodiaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 12 and warmer, down to about 52°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | annual USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 0.8 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 6.5–9.1 USDA |
| Bloom | June USDA |
| Flower color | Green USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 12 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | ground-cover Derived |
| Nursery availability | No Known Source USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 6.5 to 9.1 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 12.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 0.8 ft, making it a low, mat-forming plant. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of June. Flowers are green.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is gray-green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is summer.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 7 to 24 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 135 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 9 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Seed is the only propagation method USDA lists. Division and cuttings are not listed as options. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated none. Its growth form is recorded as single stem.
Role in a guild
Ground cover. In a layered planting this is the lowest layer — it shades soil, holds moisture, and suppresses weeds. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Bassia
- green molly Bassia americana
- forage kochia Bassia prostrata
- burningbush Bassia scoparia
Similar role and hardiness
- annual hairgrass Deschampsia danthonioides
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol BAHY, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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