Kochia is an ornamental annual known for its dense, rounded growth and fine-textured foliage that can shift from bright green to shades of red, pink, or burgundy as the season progresses. Although it is still widely called Kochia scoparia, the currently accepted botanical name is Bassia scoparia.
Names such as summer cypress, burning bush, and kochia ball are often used for this plant, while ornamental selections may differ in growth habit, mature size, foliage color, and the intensity of their seasonal color change. Some names historically treated as separate types of kochia are now considered synonyms or forms of the same species.
In this guide, you’ll discover distinctive kochia varieties and ornamental forms, how they differ in appearance, and how their colors and growth habits can be used in borders, mass plantings, containers, and seasonal garden displays.
Flower Lovers Want to Know
Are there different varieties of kochia?
Yes. Ornamental selections of Bassia scoparia may differ in growth habit, mature size, foliage density, and seasonal color. However, many names used for kochia are common names, synonyms, or historical botanical names rather than distinct varieties.
Are Kochia scoparia and Kochia trichophylla different plants?
Not in current botanical classification. Kochia scoparia is an older name for the accepted species Bassia scoparia. Names involving trichophylla have also historically been applied to cultivated, densely leafy ornamental forms and are now treated as synonyms rather than separate species.
Are summer cypress, burning bush, and kochia the same plant?
These common names are frequently used for Bassia scoparia. “Summer cypress” refers to its fine-textured, cypress-like appearance, while “burning bush” reflects the red or reddish-purple coloration that many plants develop later in the growing season.
Do all kochia plants turn red?
No. Seasonal color varies among plants and ornamental selections and can also be influenced by growing conditions. Many begin the season bright green and develop shades of red, pink, burgundy, or purple-red as they mature, but the intensity and timing of the color change can vary.
What is the difference between a kochia ball and regular kochia?
“Kochia ball” is not a separate botanical species. The name is commonly used for Bassia scoparia plants grown for their naturally dense, rounded or oval growth habit. Some ornamental selections produce a particularly compact, symmetrical appearance that makes them useful for mass plantings and seasonal displays.
Beautiful Kochia Ball Varieties and Ornamental Forms
Kochia may look simple at first glance, but ornamental forms can vary in shape, foliage density, mature size, and seasonal color. Let’s take a closer look at the forms and selections that give this distinctive annual its garden appeal.
What Counts as a Kochia Variety?
The names used for ornamental kochia can be confusing. The accepted botanical name is Bassia scoparia, although its former name, Kochia scoparia, remains widely used in gardening and the seed trade.
Names involving trichophylla have historically been applied to densely leafy ornamental forms, while other names encountered in cultivation may represent cultivars, common names, older botanical classifications, or commercial descriptions.
For this guide, the focus is on documented ornamental forms and selections distinguished by characteristics such as foliage, growth habit, mature size, and seasonal color.
Popular Kochia Varieties and Ornamental Forms
Ornamental kochia is grown primarily for its dense growth, fine-textured foliage, and changing seasonal color. Named selections and horticultural forms can differ in mature size, shape, foliage density, and the intensity of the red or burgundy tones they develop later in the season.
Because kochia has a long history in cultivation, some names below represent documented horticultural selections or historically recognized forms rather than botanical varieties recognized under current taxonomy.
1. ‘Trichophylla’ Ornamental Form
The ornamental form historically known as ‘Trichophylla’ is associated with the familiar summer cypress or burning bush appearance. It develops a dense, upright to rounded habit covered with narrow, fine-textured green foliage.
Its most noticeable transformation occurs later in the growing season, when the foliage can develop vivid reddish, scarlet, or purple-red tones. The flowers themselves are small and inconspicuous; the foliage and overall form provide the ornamental display.
Notable features:
- Dense, finely textured foliage
- Rounded to upright growth habit
- Green during much of the growing season
- Develops reddish tones as the season progresses
- Useful for mass plantings, borders, and seasonal displays
2. ‘Childsii’ Kochia
‘Childsii’ is a documented horticultural selection of Bassia scoparia. Unlike forms grown specifically for dramatic red fall coloration, ‘Childsii’ has historically been valued for maintaining a predominantly green appearance through much of the season.
Its finely divided-looking foliage and dense growth give it the soft, feathery appearance associated with summer cypress. This makes it useful when green texture and structure are more important than intense autumn color.
Notable features:
- Fine-textured green foliage
- Dense ornamental habit
- Primarily valued for its green coloration
- Provides soft texture in annual plantings
- Documented historical horticultural selection
3. ‘Acapulco Silver’ Kochia
‘Acapulco Silver’ stands apart from traditional green kochia because of its distinctive two-toned foliage. The leaves are bright green with silvery-white coloration toward their ends, giving established plants a frosted appearance.
This selection was recognized as an All-America Selections winner in the 1980s and has been documented in university ornamental-plant trials. Its contrasting foliage makes it especially useful as an accent among annuals with darker or more uniformly colored leaves.
Notable features:
- Green and silvery-white foliage
- Distinctive frosted appearance
- Upright, densely branched habit
- Useful as an accent, border plant, or annual hedge
- Selected primarily for foliage rather than flowers
4. ‘Autumn Red’ Kochia
‘Autumn Red’ is an ornamental selection valued for its strong and relatively consistent late-season red coloration. Plants begin with the fine green foliage typical of kochia before developing increasingly vivid red tones as the season progresses.
The selection is particularly useful where the changing foliage is intended to be the main ornamental feature. As with other kochia selections, its tiny flowers are visually insignificant compared with the foliage.
Notable features:
- Green foliage early in the season
- Selected for more consistent red seasonal color
- Dense, bushy annual growth
- Strong choice for autumn displays
- Best appreciated as a foliage plant
5. ‘Evergreen’ Kochia
‘Evergreen’ offers a different effect from kochia selections grown for their dramatic red transformation. As its name suggests, this selection was developed to retain green foliage rather than producing the pronounced crimson coloration associated with many ornamental forms.
Plants develop the characteristic fine-textured, bushy appearance of summer cypress, making ‘Evergreen’ useful where consistent green structure is preferred throughout the growing season.
Notable features:
- Predominantly green foliage
- Less emphasis on red seasonal coloration
- Fine-textured, bushy appearance
- Useful for green backgrounds and annual hedges
- Contrasts with red-coloring kochia selections
Common Kochia Names That Are Not Separate Varieties
Several names commonly encountered when shopping for or researching kochia can sound like cultivar names even though they generally refer to the species or its ornamental appearance.
Summer cypress describes the plant’s fine-textured, cypress-like form. Burning bush and firebush refer to the red coloration that many kochia plants develop later in the season. Belvedere is another historical common name associated with ornamental kochia.
These names should not automatically be treated as separate cultivars. Likewise, the older botanical name Kochia scoparia refers to the plant now accepted as Bassia scoparia.
Kochia Varieties Comparisons
| Kochia selection/form | Main feature | Summer appearance | Late-season color | Best ornamental use |
| ‘Trichophylla’ | Dense, classic kochia form | Green | Red to purple-red | Mass plantings, borders |
| ‘Childsii’ | Green foliage | Green | Primarily green | Texture, annual hedges |
| ‘Acapulco Silver’ | Silver-white-tipped foliage | Green and silver | May develop red tones | Accent plantings |
| ‘Autumn Red’ | Strong seasonal color | Green | Red | Autumn displays |
| ‘Evergreen’ | Retains green coloration | Green | Predominantly green | Green backgrounds, hedges |
Want to grow kochia? See our complete guide to growing kochia balls for planting, watering, soil, fertilizing, and seasonal care.
How and Why Kochia Changes Color
One of the most distinctive features of ornamental kochia is the way its foliage changes throughout the growing season. Many forms begin bright green before developing shades of red, pinkish-red, burgundy, or purple-red as they mature.
- Spring: Young plants develop fresh green foliage and begin forming their characteristic bushy growth.
- Summer: Plants become fuller and more densely branched, producing the fine-textured appearance responsible for the common name summer cypress.
- Late summer into fall: Many ornamental forms begin developing increasingly noticeable red, burgundy, or purple-red coloration.
- End of the season: As this annual completes its life cycle, the foliage eventually fades and dries and the plant produces seed.
As the foliage matures, green chlorophyll becomes less visually dominant and red to purple pigmentation becomes increasingly noticeable. Anthocyanins are pigments responsible for many red, purple, and blue colors in plant tissues and can contribute to these seasonal color changes.
Not every kochia plant develops the same intensity of color. Genetics, plant maturity, sunlight, temperature, and other environmental conditions can influence when the change occurs and how vivid the coloration becomes.
This is also one of the characteristics that distinguishes ornamental selections. Forms such as ‘Autumn Red’ are valued for pronounced late-season red coloration, while selections such as ‘Evergreen’ are grown for maintaining a predominantly green appearance.
Choosing Kochia for Borders, Mass Plantings or Containers
The best ornamental kochia depends largely on the effect you want to create in the landscape.
Borders and annual hedges: Dense, upright forms can create a soft-textured seasonal border or low informal hedge. Repeating plants along a walkway or garden edge emphasizes their naturally rounded shape.
Mass plantings: Kochia can create a particularly dramatic display when multiple plants are grouped together. Forms that develop red coloration can produce broad areas of changing seasonal color rather than relying on flowers for the display.
Accent plantings: Distinctive selections such as ‘Acapulco Silver’ can be used individually or in smaller groups where their unusual foliage is easier to appreciate.
Containers: Kochia can also provide upright foliage and texture in large containers. Choose a container proportionate to the plant’s expected mature size and avoid crowding it with vigorous companion plants.
Whichever form you choose, check local regulations before planting because Bassia scoparia can spread readily by seed in some regions.
Important Note About Invasive Potential
Although Bassia scoparia is grown as an ornamental, it has escaped cultivation and become naturalized well beyond its native range. In parts of North America, it is considered a troublesome agricultural or rangeland weed, particularly in disturbed areas, roadsides, rangelands, and crop fields.
Mature plants can produce numerous seeds, and dried plants may break away and tumble in the wind, dispersing seed over considerable distances. This tumbleweed behavior is one reason kochia can spread beyond cultivated areas.
Before planting ornamental kochia, check your state, provincial, or local invasive-plant and noxious-weed regulations. Where its cultivation is permitted, gardeners can reduce unwanted spread by removing plants before mature seed is dispersed and by monitoring the surrounding area for volunteer seedlings.
If kochia is restricted or considered invasive where you live, choose a non-invasive ornamental plant with a similar rounded or fine-textured appearance instead.
Final Sprouts of Wisdom
Kochia may be best known for its rounded shape and dramatic seasonal color, but ornamental forms offer more variety than their similar appearance initially suggests. Selections such as ‘Acapulco Silver’ stand out for unusual foliage, while ‘Autumn Red’ emphasizes late-season color and green forms such as ‘Evergreen’ provide consistent texture throughout much of the growing season.
When choosing kochia, consider the plant’s growth habit, foliage color, mature size, and intended landscape use—and make sure it is appropriate to grow in your region.
Once you’ve selected the right ornamental form for your garden, see our complete Growing Kochia Balls guide for planting, watering, soil, and seasonal care.
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