Blue Curls are annual, native wild flowers that can be found in dry, open, sandy woodlands and around rock outcrops. Its native habitat runs from southern Maine south to Florida, west to Texas and north to Missouri and Michigan. This plant has curled stamens that help make this plant showy. Its turn tan in the fall, making it a nice addition in dried arrangements. The flowers are in the form of a panicle of cymes, as well as several flowers at the tips of the branches. Each cyme and each individual, single flower is enfolded by a pair of leaves. As you ascend the cyme, the size of the flowers decrease. Each cyme will contain three to seven flowers. A healthy plant can produce hundreds of cymes, with resulting numerous seeds. These seeds make the plant a self-seeder, which may cause a maintenance issue to keep the plant under control. Opening in the early morning, the flowers will drop their petals and stamens by mid-day. The lowest petal is somewhat cupped and may be shaded in white with some dark spots. The other 4 petals are shorter, rounded and minimally pointed, and are typically all the same color. This plant was selected as the 2025 NC Wildflower of the Year , a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina. Insects, Disease, and Other Plant Problems: No issues noted. This self-seeding plant can require some effort to keep under control.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The hairy, toothless leaves are deeply veined on the upper side, creating a slight crease. They can be slightly sticky, however, when crushed give off a lemony scent.
Flower color
Blue; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme; Panicle
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Deeply curved blue-stalked stamens. Each two-lipped flower has four lobes above and one larger lobe below. Flowers bloom August-November.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Fruits are available September-December. The fruits appear after the flowers drop. Four green nutlets will be exposed. As they mature, they will turn a dark brown.
Stem detail
The stems are pubescent.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
United States
Distribution
Dry open woods and clearings.
Wildlife value
Native bees and beetles are attracted to this plant.
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Nut
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Naturalized Area; Patio; Small Space; Walkways; Woodland
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting; Small groups
Garden tags
#native wildflower #food source herbage #food source hard mast fruit #food source nectar #food source pollen #NC native #piedmont mountains UPL #coastal UPL #Audubon #bee friendly #herbaceous #herbaceous annual #fragrant flowers #short lived blooms #salt spray intolerant #NC Native Pollinator Plant #wildflower #NC Wildflower of the Year