So Roger (Whitlock)...what's so awful about T. recurvatum? I have some from midwestern collections that are gorgeous - bright silver mottling, pert upright demeanor, and handsome dark maroon flowers. I suspect your observation was made on a southern specimen - the southern ones I've seen are not very attractive. But Illinois produces some beauties, and they're great garden plants: easy, clump up quickly, long season of interest. Ellen Ellen Hornig Seneca Hill Perennials 3712 County Route 57 Oswego NY 13126 USA http://www.senecahillperennials.com/