Golden Drumsticks – Craspedia globosa

Common Name: Golden Drumsticks, Golden Balls

Botanical Name: Craspedia globosa, cras-PEE-dee-a glo-BO-sa

Decorative Life: 7-14 days fresh.

Flower Color: Yellow

Availability: Fall, Spring

Best if harvested when most of the flowers are mature. Harvesting early requires that they be pulsed in high (~20%) sugar solutions for 24-48 hours in order to have immature flowers open.

Can be held dry for two weeks at 38F. Wet storage and/or lower storage temperatures were not reported.

• The specific epithet name “globosa” means spherical shaped, in reference to the flower head. From the Greek “kraspedon” (an edging, in reference to the wooly fringe of the leaves in some New Zealand forms).
• The Compositae or aster family is vast, with over 20,000 species, and is also one of the most developed families. It was named Compositae because the flowers are actually a “composite” of many individual flowers into one head. Hence, when children pull one “petal” off at a time, saying “she/he loves me, loves me not”, they are actually removing a complete flower, not just a petal.
• Can be used fresh or dried (lasts for a year, keeps color).