Soft Greeneyes
Also known as chocolate daisies because of their fragrance.
By LYNN ARTZ, SANDY TEDDER and DAVID RODDENBERRY
Soft greeneyes (Berlandiera pumila) are charming, perennial wildflowers that thrive in dry, sandy soil. Native to sandhills and pinelands in North Florida, they attract numerous butterflies and bees. Soft greeneyes grow about 2 feet tall with multiple flowers atop each flower stalk. The central green disc that gives the genus the common name “greeneyes” is most visible when the flowers first open and after the seeds disperse. Though rarely cultivated commercially, soft greeneyes can be grown from seed. Soft greeneyes are sometimes called chocolate daisies because, after the tiny brownish-red florets in the center start to bloom, their fragrance resembles chocolate, especially early in the morning. Soft greeneyes can be seen and sniffed now in the center island of the northwest garden at Sopchoppy Depot Park.