Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Herbs
Tender Perennial
Origin
Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe, Mediterranean, Turkey, Western Asia
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Herb
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
3480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
-
Sunset Zone
A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
-
Habit
Clump-Forming
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
50.80 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown, Sandy Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Compound
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
-
Growth Rate
Medium
-
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Light Frost, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
-
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove dead flowers
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Self-fertile
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Leafhoppers, Root Pathogen, Stem rot
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Light Frost, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Variety of soil types
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bugs
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Appetite enhancer, Bloating, Digestion problems, Digestive, Heartburn, Menstrual Cramps, Stomach spasms
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Root, Seeds
-
Other Uses
Medicinal oil, Used As Food, Used in flavouring curries, teas
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable
-
Botanical Name
CARUM carvi
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Caraway, meridian fennel, Persian cumin
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
शाहजीरा
Earth Star
In German
Kümmel
Erdstern
In French
carvi
Terre étoile
In Spanish
alcaravea
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
κύμινο
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
alcaravia
Estrela da terra
In Polish
kminek
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
Caraway
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Apiales
Bromeliales
Family
Apiaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Carum
Cryptanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
2050
1
27800
👆🏻