(Cleome serrulata)

An annual native wildflower that grows in open ground in arid zones from the West Coast to the central states and into southern Canada. It goes by many names: Rocky Mt. beeplant, beeweed, skunkweed, guaco, stinking clover, Navajo spinach, the Hopi name túmi, Navajo name naá, and a Zuni name a’pilalu… The young shoots are eaten as a cooking green.

Rocky Mt beeplant has been described as a “fourth sister” for bringing seasonal greens and attracting pollinators to the traditional Three sisters food plant guild of corn, beans, squash. In some areas it is encouraged to grow near corn fields to provide additional sustenance from the greens, for the many pollinators that visit it, and also to provide an edible dye cake.

It flowers in the summer into the fall with clusters of bright purple-pink flowers like fireworks. The plants can grow upwards of 4’ tall and be single stemmed or grow a more branching form if they have more water, nutrients and space.

Direct seed in fall, or early spring. They require cold stratification for germination, so sowing them with at least a month of cold temperatures will help break their dormancy. If you are starting them later in spring, mix the seeds with wet sand, and store in the fridge for about 30 days before planting. They will be stronger and more drought-tolerant if direct seeded instead of starting in flats.

Packet: 100 seeds