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Asteraceae FAMILY

Parthenium argentatum

Parthenium argentatum

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Requires a very well-drained soil in full sun[1]. Prefers a sandy soil but cultivated plants succeed on most soils except clay[2]. Established plants are very drought resistant[2]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, plants dislike winter temperatures falling below -10°c and suffer damage below -15°c[3]. In particular, they dislike fluctuating winter temperatures and excessive winter wet[2]. Plants grow well but give a poor yield of latex when growing in areas of higher rainfall[2]. (This refers to the very low levels of rain the plant experiences in its native habitat). More rubber is produced if the plant is prevented from flowering[2]. British summers are possibly not warm enough for this plant to thrive[2]. Hybrids between Parthenium argentatum and P. incanum have been noted[4].

Propagation

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. Only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Parthenium+argentatum>

Pollinators

Insects, wind, Apomictic

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization. — Polhamus. L. G. · Leonard Hill; London. · 1962 ↩︎A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
  3. [3]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  4. [4]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  5. [5]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  6. [6]Economic Botany. — Hill. A. F. · The Maple Press · 1952 · ISBN - ↩︎Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.