The cloud forests of Mexico are home to many rare gems, like the spectacular Blue Mist Flower - Bartlettina sordida.  This unusual shrub makes massive clusters of fuzzy, bluish-lilac flowers - like big, puffy pom-poms!  The attractive leaves are equally huge, growing as big as dinner plates!  The plant is very rare in cultivation, usually only seen in botanical gardens.  It does best in moderate temperatures and might not thrive in hot climates.  If you can provide the right conditions, it's a striking collector's plant.  Freshly picked seeds are rarely seen for sale.

Bartlettina sordida is a fast-growing perennial species in the Aster family with an upright habit and woody branches.  It grows to 15 feet tall here in San Francisco, although it may be pruned to any height that is convenient.  Its big, velvety leaves give the plant a great, tropical look.  In Spring, the flower stalks rise above foliage.  Each flower cluster can get up to a foot across!  The fuzzy look of the clusters is due to the thread-like stamens on each flower.  The blooms have a nice fragrance, smelling somewhat like lilacs.