Butterfly Silkweed

This short flower grows up to 3 inches (8 cm) tall. Its yellow stem is very thick and straight with a curved tip, and the giant, emerald leaves are wispy with smooth edges. The leaves grow in pairs along the length of the stem.

A single small flower sits at the end of each stem. The flowers are 3 cm (1.2 inches) wide, with solid light grey petals and a cyan central disk. The flower head is shaped like a cube made up of 16 raised, round-tipped petals. They are very delicate.

It has a mildly strong scent that smells like soap, and it has very little pollen. It is pollinated by insects and is particularly attractive to butterflies.