Nigella damascena: Country Or Region Of Origin
Macaronesia, Mediterranean to Iran
Plant Profile: Nigella damascena
Taxonomy: Nigella damascenaNames
Love-in-a-mist, Nigella
Phonetic Spelling:nye-JELL-ah dam-ass-SEE-nah
Genus:Nigella
Species:damascena
Family:Ranunculaceae
This annual plant thrives in cooler weather and is valued for its unique flowers and seed pods, which are perfect for floral arrangements. Plant the seeds in the garden as soon as the soil is workable. In regions with cooler summer temperatures, you can make additional sowings every 3 to 4 weeks until mid-summer. It grows best in average, moderately moist, well-drained soil and requires full sunlight.
Nigella damascena Feature Summary
Nigella damascena Image Gallery
Tags
#white
#showy flowers
#full sun tolerant
#annual
#blue
#violet
#summer flowers
#seed pods
#reseed
Similar Plants
Nigella damascena Feature Summary
Attributes
Macaronesia, Mediterranean to Iran
Annual
Fruit
Egg-shaped, horned seed capsules (to 1” diameter) that are covered with bristles. Stems with dried seed capsules make excellent additions to dried flower arrangements.
Capsule
Good Dried
Summer
Fall
< 1 inch
Flowers
Each solitary blue flower appears to sit on a bed of lacy (and misty) foliage
Purple/Lavender
White
Blue
Good Cut
Showy
Good Dried
7 - 20 petals/rays
Crown
1-3 inches
Leaves
Finely-cut, thread-like leaves
Green
Simple
Linear
Filiform
< 1 inch
Whole Plant Traits
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Wet
Less than 12 inches
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Clay
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Stem
Landscape
Cutting Garden
Cottage Garden
Border
Small groups
Container
Patio
Walkways
Nigella damascena Image Gallery
Nigella damascena Attributes
Nigella damascena: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Nigella damascena: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Nigella damascena Fruit
Nigella damascena: Fruit Description
Egg-shaped, horned seed capsules (to 1” diameter) that are covered with bristles. Stems with dried seed capsules make excellent additions to dried flower arrangements.
Nigella damascena: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Nigella damascena: Fruit Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Nigella damascena: Display/Harvest Time
Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter
Nigella damascena: Fruit Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Nigella damascena Flowers
Nigella damascena: Flower Description
Each solitary blue flower appears to sit on a bed of lacy (and misty) foliage
Nigella damascena: Flower Color
Blue
Purple/Lavender
White
Nigella damascena: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Nigella damascena: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Nigella damascena: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Nigella damascena: Flower Shape
Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel
Nigella damascena: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Nigella damascena Leaves
Nigella damascena: Leaf Description
Finely-cut, thread-like leaves
Nigella damascena: Leaf Color
Green
Nigella damascena: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Nigella damascena: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Nigella damascena: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Nigella damascena: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Nigella damascena Whole Plant Traits
Nigella damascena: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Nigella damascena: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Nigella damascena: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Nigella damascena: Maintenance
Low
Medium
High
Nigella damascena: Texture
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Nigella damascena Cultural Conditions
Nigella damascena: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Nigella damascena: Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Nigella damascena: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Nigella damascena: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Nigella damascena: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Nigella damascena: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Nigella damascena Stem
Nigella damascena: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Nigella damascena Landscape
Nigella damascena: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Nigella damascena: Design Feature
Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree
Nigella damascena: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
