Common Name: spider flower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Cleomaceae
Zone: 9 to 10
Height: 2.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to frost
Bloom Description: Lavendar-pink
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Annual
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Tolerate: Rabbit, Drought
Culture
Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade. Best with consistent watering during the growing season. Once established, plants tolerate heat and drought. This cleome is a sterile plant that will not reseed in the garden. It is winter hardy to USDA Zones 9-10. It is grown as an annual in Zones 3-8.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Cleome is a a genus of about 150 species from tropical and subtropical areas worldwide.
Genus name of unknown origin.
SENORITA ROSALITA, commonly known as cleome or spider flower, is a fast-growing tender perennial with a compact upright habit. In comparison to some other cleomes in commerce today, SENORITA ROSALITA is noted for having no thorns, no unpleasant aroma, no sticky foliage, no seedpods and better disease resistance. It is grown in St. Louis as an annual, typically rising to 2-4’ tall on rigid stems clad with compound palmate green leaves (each leaflet to 2-3" long). Elongated, open, terminal racemes of 4-petaled, spider-like, lavender-pink flowers with protruding stamens bloom continuously from late spring to frost. Flowers have no fragrance. Flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. SENORITA ROSALITA originated from a cross pollination of Cleome hybrida 'Linde Armstrong' (female parent) and an unnamed Cleome hybrida seedling (male parent) which occurred in a controlled environment at Gensingen, Germany in 2002. U. S. Plant Patent PP19,733 was issued on February 17, 2009.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for aphids, spider mites and whiteflies. Susceptible to mildew and rust.
Uses
Best in groups or massed. Beds, borders, foundations, large containers. Good addition to butterfly gardens.