About
This tender, bushy or trailing perennial grown as an annual. Pale yellow flowers, about 2cm across, appear in summer, followed by hairy, blue-green fruit that are touch-sensitive, squirting out seeds over large distances when ripe. Dark greyish-green, five-lobed leaves are carried on long, bristly stems.
About the genus
Ecballium are trailing or bushy, bristly perennials which produce touch-sensitive fruit that can squirt seeds out over great distances when ripe. They have lobed leaves and funnel-shaped flowers
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureWell-drained
AspectSouth-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH2
Plant details
Plant typeHerbaceous Perennial, Annual Biennial
HabitTrailing
FoliageDeciduous
Height0.1-0.5 metres
Spread0.5-1 metres
Time to full height1 year
Suggested usesPatio and container plants, Cottage and informal garden
ToxicityIRRITANT to skin/eye, harmful if eaten. 25371,rhododendron-eriocarpum-jitsugetsuse-ea,Rhododendron eriocarpum 'Jitsugetsuse' (EA),,This small-leaved evergreen azalea
Care notes
CultivationStart seeds off under glass, planting out into an open, sunny position with well-drained soil after all risk of frost has passed
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by seed
Pest resistanceAphids and glasshouse red spider mite may be a problem under glass
Disease resistanceGenerally disease-free