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Aristea major - A herbaceous perennial with rigid, linear lanceolate green leaves and fragrant 1" wide true blue flowers with purple stamens and yellow anthers bloom on multiple (up to 8) 3-5 foot tall flower stalks in the summer.
Plant in full sun and water occasionally to very little. It is cold hardy to at least 15 degrees F (maybe as low as 10° F) and reportedly resistant to deer and snail predation.
Aristea major is a very hardy species that is found all along the Drakensberg mountains. The genus name is either derived from the Latin word 'arista' meaning "awn" or from the Greek word 'aristeides' meaning "the best" and the specific epithet references this plants larger size that other species.
We grew this plant from seed received in 1992 from Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden. It finally flowered 10 years later in 2001 and the plants we grew in later years, from 2014 to 2017 were divisions from this original crop. The correct current name for this species is now Aristea capitata.
The information about Aristea major displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
