How to Grow and Care for Stemodia

Whorled twintip is a wildflower that naturally occurs in Middle and South America and has become invasive in tropical regions of India and the Asian Pacific. In some South American countries like Colombia, whorled twintop is used for medicinal purposes.

It is a perennial herb producing a hairy, glandular, erect stem 10 to 50 centimeters tall. The toothed lance-shaped leaves are found in pairs or triplets at stem nodes, their bases often clasping the stem. The inflorescence is a raceme of violet flowers, each centimeter-long corolla held in a calyx of hairy, pointed sepals. The plant can be seen in bloom throughout most of the year.

Gray-woolly twintip boasts a soft, woolly texture due to its dense grayish-white hairs, a trait enabling it to thrive in arid habitats by minimizing water loss. This low-growing perennial features delicate bluish-purple flowers that are particularly adapted to attract pollinators amidst sparse desert flora. Its lance-shaped leaves and sprawling stems give gray-woolly twintip a distinctive ground cover appearance, well-suited for rock gardens or xeriscaping.

Seaside twintip is a low-growing, salt-tolerant coastal plant, characterized by its sprawling habit and small, oval to lance-shaped leaves, which are often covered with fine hairs. Its delicate, tubular flowers are typically blue to violet, adapted to attract pollinators. Ideally suited for sandy or rocky substrates, seaside twintip thrives in the challenging conditions of coastal ecosystems, showcasing a resilience that benefits from its specialized morphology.