Wedelia Texana (Zexmenia hispida)
Texas creeping-oxeye or Wedelia is a small shrub, from 8" to 3 ft. tall, woody at the base, and herbaceous in the leafy parts, ranging from central and west Texas south into Mexico. Woody branches send down roots and gradually increase the plant's circumference. Upper stems are covered with stiff-appressed hairs and rough to the touch. Rough-hairy, gray-green foliage, leaves harsh on both surfaces, varying in shape from lobed in the basal half on either side to narrow and unlobed, with margins weakly toothed or untoothed. Flowers minute, in showy heads with yellow to orange rays appearing on the petals of a single flower, on long stems (peduncles) extending vertically above the leaves. Daisy-like flowers cover the plant from summer to frost.
Woody-stemmed and evergreen in the southern part of its range, this plant dies farther north. It is hardy, long-lived, long-blooming, non-aggressive, and famous as a low, shrubby flower for massing in full sun.
Zexmenia is long-lived, drought-tolerant, non-aggressive, and easy to grow. Excess water or shade can make it leggy; cut it back periodically. Woody-stemmed and evergreen in the southern part of its range, Zexmenia dies to the ground farther north.
Height: 2’-3'
Spread: 2.5'
Bloom: May-November
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade, Dappled Shade
Water: Low
Zone: 8, 9, 10, 11
Origin: Texas
