Wooly Tea Bush
melochia tomentosa

days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant per 3 square feet
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for: nothing!
harvest notes: may need to be replaced after a few years
season:
perennial

Wooly Tea Bush, also known as Tea Bush, Wooly Pyramid, and Broom Weed, is gaining popularity as a Florida landscape shrub because it grows well in dry, harsh conditions and produces flowers most of the year. This small erect shrub is a member of the Chocolate Family (Malvaceae), and grows natively in the southern, dry Pinelands of Florida, southern Texas, through the West Indies, and into Central America, Brazil and Colombia. Attractive to butterflies and humming birds, its flowers range from pinkish to almost purple. Wooly Tea Bush grows in dry areas and adapts to a wide variety of well-drained soils. It does best with lots of sun and almost no supplemental water, while contributing to soil stability and biodiversity.