Datisca cannabina

Here's a plant straight out of the 1960s, so if you're into tie-dyed t-shirts and bell-bottom jeans, try some peace and love on this baby. Datisca cannabina is a distant cousin of squash...I'm not making this up! This native from Crete to Pakistan starts life each spring as the deciduous stems quickly rise to 8' tall. Starting in late May (NC) and continuing for months, the clumps are topped with long, contorted pendent spikes of tiny yellow flowers...think Janis Joplin's hair after a week-long inebriated binge. While Datisca cannabina is only 2' wide at the base, the arching stems, clothed with marijuana-like leaves, open to 6' wide at the top...insanely cool and it will drive the cops crazy!