False tobacco

Elephantopus mollis

Elephantopus

Asteraceae

Tropical Plants

Zone 4–9

🐾 Pet-Safe

🌱 Beginner Friendly

False tobacco is a robust tropical perennial herb that thrives in warm, humid conditions with partial shade and moist, fertile soil. It is an easy-care plant that grows quickly and produces small lavender composite flowers attractive to pollinators. Best suited for tropical and subtropical garden beds or as a naturalistic ground cover; it is not frost-hardy and will need protection or overwintering indoors in cooler climates.

Care Requirements

Care Level

Low

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

Moderate

Growth Rate

Fast

Mature Height

12″ – 48″

Soil

loam

Life Cycle

Perennial

Spacing

24″

Watering Schedule

Every 7-10 Days • Water Until Soil Is Evenly Moist, Allowing The Top Inch Or Two To Dry Between Waterings

Soil pH

5 – 7.2

Temperature

-25° – 95°F

Mature Spread

up to 36″

Root Depth

Medium

Foliage

Coarse

Ecology & Origin

Native to

Angola

Argentina Northeast

Argentina Northwest

Belize

Benin

Bolivia

Brazil North

Brazil Northeast

Brazil South

Brazil Southeast

Brazil West-Central

Burkina

Cameroon

Caroline Is.

Central African Repu

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Costa Rica

Cuba

Attracts

🐝 Bees

🐝 Butterflies

🐝 Moths

Safety & Use

⚕ Medicinal

🐾 Pet-safe

Sources

Data: trefle

Image: trefle.io — Taken Dec 1, 2021 by ethos smith (cc-by-sa)

Hardiness Zones

Check your zone:

Available From (0)

No nurseries currently have this species in stock.