Plant in full to part sun and irrigate regularly to occasionally – older plants along the coast are tolerant of dry conditions but look best with at least an occasional watering. Plant in coastal or other near frost-free locations, though known to tolerate temperatures down to around 25° F and able to resprout quickly from frost damage. We have also been told by a gardener in San Diego County that this plant handled the 117° F July 2018 heat wave without damage and was also not damaged by any of the harsh winds that are common at their location. It can be kept denser and smaller by pruning and is useful as a small specimen tree or as a large informal screening planting.

Podachaenium eminens, in the sunflower (Helianthus) tribe, is considered to be one of the largest daisy plants (plants in the Asteraceae) in the world and is native from Sinaloa in Southern Mexico to Costa Rica where is grows in highland forests, including montane cloud forests. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'podos' meaning foot and 'achene' (Latinized to 'achaenium') alluding to the base of its single seeded fruit that is called an achene. The specific epithet means "prominent" or "eminent" likely for its showy flowers.

Our plants came from seed off of a specimen found growing behind Rudy House on the west campus of the University of California Santa Barbara, in a location that had not been irrigated for several years. This plant was planted by UCSB Housing & Residential Services Landscape Architect Ric Williams in the 1990s. This tree can also be found growing at the San Diego Botanic Garden (previously Quail Botanic Garden), where a fifty year old specimen was described by Steve Brigham in an article in Pacific Horticulture titled "Trees of San Diego: Daisies… On a Tree?". Plants can also be found at the Fullerton Arboretum and at the Mildred E. Mathias Botanic Garden at UCLA, where if occasionally volunteers seedlings. We have sold this plant since 2016. 

The information about Podachaenium eminens displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.