Acmella oleracea
Toothache plant, Eyeball plant
Also known as Spilanthes acmella (misapplied)
- Height × spread
- 0.4m × 0.4m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
The flowers certainly reflect the common name - eyeball plant - they are somewhat cylindrical, packed with tiny yellow blooms, and, at the top, an orange circle is at the centre of the bloom. It should flower from summer through to the frosts. The leaves are glossy green, broad and lush looking. It is by nature a plant that sprawls. Its other popular name - Toothache plant - reflects the fact that, if a flower bud is chewed it numbs the mouth and kills the pain of toothache. It will simultaneously make you salivate (dribble).
- Flower colour
- Orange, Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 0.4m
- Spread
- 0.4m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Small scale garden, Indoors, Conservatory
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring · Planting
Repot yearly
Repot yearly if grown in a pot. Move it to a slightly larger pot with drainage holes. Some of the old compost can be shaken away, but don't disturb the roots too much.
Be careful to ensure the roots are spread out in the new pot, and that the plant is sitting on compost and not an air pocket. Firm the soil gently, and make sure that the plant sits at the same level above the soil as it did previously.