Dittany is an upright bushy herbaceous perennial that is slow to establish, but once established, is very long lived. At maturity, it can reach 3 feet high and 2 feet wide with an upright, clumping form and fragrant glossy green leaves. Showy spikes of spidery-looking white flowers appear in early summer. In hot weather old flowers or seed pods emit a flammable oil and a match held below the spike on a still night will ignite a burst of vapor leading to the common name, Gas Plant. Dittany does not transplant well, and once established should not be divided in the garden. You can start new plants from seed sown outdoors in the fall, but these seeds must go through the winter for cold stratification before they take root and grow. Note that they can take 2 to 4 years before they will bloom. The genus name comes from the Greek and is probably named after Mount Dikte. The species name means white. Dittany prefers moist, well-drained, humusy and slightly alkaline soils in full sun, but will tolerate some drought once established. It does best in climates with cooler summer nights and can tolerate poor soil and light shade. In its native European habitat, it can be found on woodland margins and rocky soil. Flowers and foliage can cause skin rash in some individuals. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.