Daisy Tea Bush – 20 Seeds

Daisy Tea Bush (Athrixia elata sond) is a much branched, perennial shrublet with slender stems and narrow leaves. The leaves are alternate with pointed tips. Leaf margins are rolled under, almost covering the white woolly lower surface of the leaf.  Flowers are daisy-like, with strap-shaped petals colored purple and central disc florets colored yellow or white. This genus has been observed to flower year-round dependent on conditions. It is adapted to a range of habitats, including grassland, savanna, forest, rocky and sloping environments.

With its soft dark green foliage and purple daisy-like flowers it is a popular garden plant with health benefits and is indigenous to southern and central Africa. The plant occurs on rocky slopes of the Highveld grassland in North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Free State. Daisy Tea Bush is a hardy plant and likes full sun.

Common Names: Bushman’s tea (Eng), Wilde Tee (Afr.) Icholocholo, itshelo, umthsanelo (isiZulu)

Medicinal Benefits

• Traditional uses include brewed as a tea, chewed for relief of sore throats and drinking extracts of the roots and leaves to expel parasites.
• It was also used for cleansing and purifying the blood, treating headaches and as a gargle for throat infections and loss of voice.
• In some parts of Southern Africa it is believed to be an aphrodisiac.

Growing Daisy Tea Bush

Indoor Sowing: Spring.

Direct Sowing: Spring and Summer.

• Sow seeds when the temperature is constantly at least 20°C.
• Sow seeds in a seedling trays and barely cover the seeds with a very thin layer of soil.
• Place the seedling tray in a sunny area where it gets constant light.
• Once the seeds germinate, allow the seedlings to grow on in the seedlings trays for three months, before transplanting into the garden.
• Can also be grown in containers.
• Prune back after flowering.