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Amaranthaceae
Globe Amaranth
Gomphrena globosa
Immortality, unfading love, fidelity.
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Genus
- Gomphrena
- Native to
- Central America
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- Annual
- Height
- 30–60 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- Annual everywhere
- Lifespan
- One season
Did you know
- The papery, clover-like flower heads keep their color so well that they're called 'everlasting flowers' — dried blooms can stay vivid for years.
- In Hawaiian leis, gomphrena is one of the most popular flowers for Mother's Day and graduation garlands because it survives the day without wilting.
- In Nepal, dried garlands of gomphrena are given to brothers during the Tihar festival as symbols of long life.
- Despite the plump papery look, the actual tiny flowers are barely visible — what you see are colorful papery bracts surrounding minute true flowers.
- Pollinators love it — butterflies, especially skippers, hover over gomphrena patches all afternoon.
Color meanings
Purple
Eternal devotion