Arctotis is a genus of about 40-50 species of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the family Asteraceae

Asteraceae

The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...

, native to southern Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, from South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 north to Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

. Some of the plants are alternatively placed in the genus Venidium

Venidium

Venidium is a genus of flowering plants in Family Asteraceae. Some species are alternatively placed in genus Arctotis. There are 20 to 30 annual and perennial species of Venidium, mostly in South Africa. V. fatuosum appears as many horticultural varieties. Most species occur in South Africa....

. Many are called by the common name "African daisy", or "Gousblom" in Afrikaans

Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...

. Some species have been developed as popular horticultural items because of their attractive yellow, orange, red, or white flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s. Gardeners cultivate some species as half-hardy annuals.

Selected species

• A. acaulis - Botterblom, Gousbloom
• A. adpressa - Gousblom
• A. amoena
• A. angustifolia - Smalbaar Gousblom
• A. arctotoides - Butterflower, Botterblom, African Daisy
• A. argentea
• A. aspera
• A. auriculata
• A. bellidifolia
• A. breviscapa - Sandveld Gousblom
• A. candida - Malmesbury Gousblom
• A. cinerea
• A. cuprea
• A. elatior
• A. fastuosa
  Venidium fastuosum
  Venidium fastuosum is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names monarch of the veld, Cape daisy, and Namaqualand daisy. It is native to South Africa and Namibia, and it is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its flowers...
  
  - Monarch of the Veld, Cape Daisy
• A. flaccida
• A. flammea - African Daisy
• A. foeniculacea
• A. frutescens
  Arctotis frutescens
  Arctotis frutescens is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Namibia.Its natural habitat is rocky areas.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Craven, P. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
  
  
• A. galbrata
• A. glaucophylla
• A. gumbletonii - Bottergousblom
• A. hirsuta - Gousblom
• A. laevis
• A. leiocarpa - Gousblom
• A. leptorhiza
• A. leucanthemoides
• A. merxmuellerii - Gousblom
• A. revoluta - Krulblaargousblom
• A. rosea
• A. semipapposa
• A. squarrosa
• A. stoechadifolia
  Arctotis stoechadifolia
  Arctotis stoechadifolia is a species of South African daisy known by several common names, including silver arctotis, kusgousblom, and blue-eyed African daisy...
  
  
• A. sulcocarpa - Gousblom
• A. tricolor
• A. undulata
• A. venusta - Blue-eyed African Daisy