Euryops arabicus (Jabur) - Compact dome shaped shrub to 3 to 5 feet tall with interesting 2-inch-long narrow lobed green leathery leaves clustered at the tips of the branches. Through the summer months into fall appear the 1-inch-wide composite heads of yellow ray flowers and orange-yellow disk flowers that are spaced out along the stems.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and give little to no irrigation. Hardiness is not well known but plants have survived temperatures down to 30° F without any damage. This is an interesting and attractive plant that when not in bloom has been described as somewhat resembling a dwarf pine tree because of its elongated and narrow leaves.
Euryops arabicus is native to the Arabian Peninsula south to Somalia where the heated leaves and stems were once used in the treatment of wounds. It was first described in 1852 by Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel, a German physician and an authority on grasses. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'eury' (or 'eurys') meaning "large" or "broad" and 'ops' (or 'opos') meaning "resemblance", "sight" or "the eye" probably in reference to the large eye-like flowers. Our plants from seed collected on the island of Socotra where it was noted growing at around 3,3300 feet elevation in open scrubby country with Dracaena cinnabari. Our thanks to Dylan Hannon of the Huntington Botanic Garden for introducing us to this unusual and attractive plant in 2014.
The information about Euryops arabicus 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. |