Dictamnus albus var. purpureus

This selected pink form of dittany will light up the summer nights with its fragrant lemon-scented flowers on their rigid 2-4' stems. Commonly called gas plant because in hot weather the spent flowers or seed pods emit a flammable oil which, on a still summer evening, can be ignited resulting in a brief but entertaining vapor burn! Flowers give way to star-shaped seed heads which provide nice decorative interest if left on the plant. Foliage is also quite fragrant as it contains the essential oil (caution: it causes allergic rash in some individuals). S/M

Bushy, upright perennial 2-3’ tall and wide with glossy, pinnate, fragrant foliage. Racemes of fragrant, five petaled purplish-pink flowers top the stems late spring thru early summer. Flowers emit a flammable oil which can be ignited by a match on a still summer night (does not hurt plant). Good cut flower. Resents disturbance after planting. Prefers evenly moist fertile soils (not soggy) in full sun. Slow to establish but thereafter a long-lived, low maintenance plant. Bait for slugs and snails when foliage emerges in spring. Rarely offered.

Upright wands of pink flowers with wine colored markings are born in late spring and early summer. This plant's common name acknowledges the fact that the aging flowers and seed pods emit a volatile oil which can be ignited with a match on hot summer evenings (not that we're encouraging you to try!). Slow growing but long lived perennial, if provided with a well drained soil. Grows 3-3' and up to 4' wide.

Dark-veined lavender-pink flowers on 3' stems, these blooms exude refreshing citrus-like fragrance. Plants resent root disturbance so plant it carefully and choose its site judiciously. (May cause some skin irritation, especially in hot weather. Test carefully. Some are very sensitive to it but most not at all.) Minimum temperature: -40 °F

Gas plant, glandular hairs emit an aromatic gas that can be set ablaze on still muggy summer nights, please check for Giant Swallowtail larva first or you may barbeque your bird droppings (Dictamnus is a first choice munchie here). Racemes of showy flowers in spring followed by attractive explosively dehiscent seed heads, Dictamnus can shoot shiny black missiles across a room. Very long lived in the garden they resent disturbance, do not move large plants; germination of dry stored seed is complicated by hard seed coats and secondary dormancies, limiting most commercial production. This is the first large crop we have had in years the result in part of introducing new genetic material from the Caucasus. Germination improved greatly, colors could be anything from purple to white. Like many rutaceous plants they may cause photodermatitus in sensitive people. Rue does this to me but Dictamnus has never given me trouble and I am always looking for caterpillars on it. ZONE 4

Once called Fraxinella or Burning Bush, gas plant was commonly grown in England in the late 16th century. I adore these plants for the glossy, green, impeccable foliage and the tall wands of mauve-pink flowers accented with violet veining and long upwardly curving stamens. As the old names suggest, the volatile oils released by the ripening star-shaped seedpods can be ignited, if all atmospheric conditions are right. An extremely long lived, gorgeous shrub. Grow in sweet, well-drained, rich soil and do not disturb the roots.

Only a few this year and they are smaller than the white ones-. Grows into sizable clumps with ash-like, lemon-scented foliage. The 5-petalled, asymmetrical star-shaped flowers are white and dark veined, lending them a pink appearance. They are about 1" wide and born on purple tinted spikes above the foliage. Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction in some people.