Dittany, Burning Bush

Dictamnus albus (ditanny, burning bush) is the only species in the Dictamnus genus. Botanically, this shrub is part of the rue family (Rutaceae). Dittany’s natural habitat stretches from southern Europe to China and Korea. In central Europe, this burning bush is found growing wild in groups on limey, grassy scrubland or in neighboring pine woodland. It can also often be found on sunny hills or in sparse clumps of shrubs. Dittany is not a common garden shrub. This is due to its location needs on one hand, and due to the difficulties of propagation on the other. If you persevere, you will be rewarded with cute flowers and a tangy lemon scent that emanates from this plant on sunny days especially. Its nickname “burning bush” is thanks to the scented, volatile essential oil contained in its flowers and fruit. You can even ignite it without injuring the plant (as long as there is no wind). This is rarely successful outside a lab, so is not really advisable. In very hot weather, it does sometimes ignite spontaneously, puffing out blue flames. This oil sadly also causes painful skin irritation in sensitive people on contact: the reaction forms burn-like blisters that remain visible for a long period of time. This photodermatitis is triggered when the affected areas are exposed to UV rays. Apart from this, all parts of the dittany plant are weakly toxic.

When the conditions are right, dittany proves itself a long-living shrub that gets more and more beautiful each passing year. The stems on which the cute flowers form can grow to between 31 and 39 inches tall. The base of the stem grows woody. The characteristic spiced aroma is noticeable on all parts of the plant.

The green leaves of the burning bush grow alternately and are odd-pinnate. They are ovate to lanceolate and feature very weak, tiny black dots on the lamina.

Dittany’s attractive pink flowers are zygomorphic, i.e. made up of two perfectly symmetrical halves. They appear from June to July in singular clusters.

After flowering, the burning bush forms star-shaped capsule fruits consisting of five chambers, each with two to three small black seeds inside. As soon as they are ripe, they are catapulted from the inside. The fruit remains on the shrub until fall, and are commonly dried for use as for seasonal decorations in winter.

In the garden, full sun and a very warm, dry location in a bed are perfect for dittany.

The burning bush can be very long-lasting and resilient in limey, mineral, moderately nutrient-rich and permeable soil.

To be on the safe side, we recommend wearing gloves when planning this scented shrub. Four plants can be planted in ten square feet, keeping 19 inches between each plant. Once dittany has grown in, which can take a while, it should not be moved.

If the conditions are right, you will not need to provide the burning bush with further care. It should only be watered by hand in long periods of drought. Make sure to water the soil, not the leaves. After a few years, you can add a little compost.

It is possible to divide the rootstock, but not advisable. The parent plant generally doesn’t recover.

As already mentioned, dittany is an attractive plant for sunny beds and borders. Ideal companion plants include other shrubs, like iris or hellebore. This scented plant is also suitable for prairie gardens – accompanied with prairie shrubs and decorative grasses.

The burning bush spreads naturally in fall through the distribution of seeds. To get to the seeds, cut off some stems and remove the seeds from the capsule fruit. Sensitive gardeners should wear gloves to do so. It’s best to sow these light-germinating seeds into the bed soon after. If you store them for a while, they will need additional cold triggering to germinate. Dittany seedlings need a good three to four years until they flower and may even need 18 months to germinate.

Dittany rarely falls foul to any disease or pests. Slugs and snails can be a disaster, especially for young plants.