What is common between an old Roman- Italian family name and a native Australian flower?

The legend

Gaius Mucius was a Roman youth born 524 B.C. He is said to have saved Rome during the war between Rome and Clusium when King Lars Porsena laid siege to Rome. Gaius Mucius was the first of about 300 Roman youths pledged to kill King Lars Porsena.

When he was captured, he stuck his right fist into a fire and held it there until it was completely unusable with no indication of pain. The king was so impressed he dismissed Gaius from the camp and sent ambassadors to Rome to offer peace. He gave Gaius the family name of Scaevola – meaning left-handed.

The flower

The fan flower, sometimes known as fairy fan flower, is a native Australian plant.

• Bloom imitates open fan; open palm of left hand

It is unique in the fact that it has a split corolla tube with only five petals on the left side of the bloom, thereby earning the Latin name Scaevola.

The second part of the name, aemula, translates as “imitating.” So, it is imitating an open fan or the open palm of the left hand.

The plant

This is a dainty low-growing plant with very hardy characteristics.

• Low, scrubby, fast-growing, spreading plant

Goodaniaceae is the family name of a small shrub group, which Scaevola aemula is a member species. It is a low, scrubby, fast-growing, spreading plant requiring full to partial sun. Leaves on the plant are somewhat thick with a very dark green color with wiry herbaceous stems covered in yellowish hairs.

• Flourishes in warm, coastal areas

The Scaevola aemula does well in well-drained soil and can tolerate periods of drought as well as salt spray. Because of this, the fan flower will flourish in warm coastal areas.

• Does not tolerate low or freezing temps

They can be perennial in USDA Zones 10 and 11 but are annuals in other zones as they do not tolerate very low or freezing temperatures. Their growth will slow with 40-degree weather eventually, dying back with the cooler temperatures.

• Excellent ground cover, bedding plants; in hanging baskets, containers

Perennial plants need to be fertilized in the spring when new growth begins. As annuals these plants will provide a definite feast for the eyes as ground cover, in hanging baskets, containers or in beds.

These plants usually attain only 8-14 inches in height but may spread out up to 24 inches. The flowers attract butterflies, thus promoting pollination and activity in the gardens. They are self-cleaning and need little or no deadheading.

Hybridized from native Australia

Since coming from Down Under to stateside, the fan flower has been extensively hybridized.

• Comes in colors other than blue

The native plants have dainty, little blue to purple blooms. Hybridizers in the United States and other parts of the world have developed many cultivars resulting in various shades of blue, white, pink and a new bicolor of yellow and white.

• Retains best characteristics of original plant

The new cultivars have kept the best characteristics of the original plant that made it so popular. These characteristics include full sun, easy maintenance, blooming time from planting to first frost or lower temperatures, and average soil and water requirements.

Propagation from cuttings/layering

The fan flower is easily propagated from stem cuttings or layering, not so easily from seeds, especially the newer cultivars as most of their seeds are sterile.

These cuttings can be started in sandy soil but need to be kept moderately moist (not wet) in a relatively warm area.

They should grow well all during summertime and provide blooms until the first frost or lowering of temperatures in autumn. If the plants start to get a leggy look, pinch back some of the new growth to form a bushy plant.

New Blue Wonder – fanned out to Texas Superstar status

Fan flower performed well not only in this area but also around the state. So much so that Scaevola aemula New Blue Wonder fan flower was named a Texas Superstar in May 1998 even though the fan flower later was found to perform better when left in a container.

Since then, it has proven itself over and over again in hot Texas coastal areas. Try fanning your landscape with it.