Chocolate Flower

Chocolate Daisy, Berlandiera lyrata

The common name lyreleaf greeneyes comes from the center disk resembling a green eye when the petals fall off the daisy. The much more common name, chocolate daisy or chocolate flower, comes from the scent given off by these flowers. A native to the south and southwestern portions of the United States as well as northern Mexico, the chocolate daisy is a perennial that may grow close to 60 cm (24 in) in moist, well-drained soils of sun or partial shade. In areas that are frost free, chocolate daisies will bloom all year round, but will otherwise continually bloom from April until October. The petals curl in the hot afternoon sun, but expand and fill the air with the smell of chocolate in the morning. The flowers have been used as seasoning, and the stamen have the flavor of unsweetened chocolate.