Plant in full sun in well-draining soil and given only occasional to infrequent irrigation - this is a drought tolerant plant that can grow in near seaside conditions and is cold hardy to 20-25 degrees F. A great plant with flowers that are long-lasting on a garden plant or in the vase as a cut flower and it attracts honey bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

Athanasia dentata occurs from the Cape Peninsula and East Cape in South Africa on dry, sandy coastal slopes. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'a' meaning "without" and 'thanatos' meaning "death" in reference to the persistent dry around the flowers, which remain on the plant long after it has finished flowering. The specific epithet means "toothed" in reference to the serrations on the leaves.

We thank Ryan Deering, the horticulturist at the University of California Davis Arboretum for recommending this plant and providing the stock plants for us to take cutting from in 2022. Ryan noted that this plant had then been growing in their arboretum for over ten years and that it has always looked attractive and not seeded out anywhere. He noted that they also have the related Hymenolepis crithmifolia in the garden and while it extremely showy, for them it gets a bit large and needs to be cut back hard every few years but Athanasia dentata does not require this. 

The information displayed on this page about Athanasia dentata is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.