Arctotis stoechadifolia
Encyclopedia
Arctotis stoechadifolia is a species of South Africa
n daisy
known by several common names, including silver arctotis, kusgousblom, and blue-eyed African daisy. It is becoming less common in its native range along the western coast of South Africa, but at the same time it is becoming abundant in other areas of the world with similar climates, such as California
and coastal Australia
, where it has escaped from gardens to become a noxious weed. This is a popular ornamental plant
in areas of suitable climate, grown as a ground cover for its silvery foliage and showy daisy blooms. It is adaptable to many conditions and is sometimes used as a soil stabilizer in areas of erosion. It is a perennial with stout, woolly stems and aromatic, fiddle-shaped, heavily lobed leaves. The flower heads
have many creamy-white to pink or bronze ray florets with lavender to reddish undersides and centers filled with purple-petalled disc florets. The fruit is a hard achene
with a tuft of plumelike hairs on one end and an array of pappus
scales on the other.
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...
n daisy
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...
known by several common names, including silver arctotis, kusgousblom, and blue-eyed African daisy. It is becoming less common in its native range along the western coast of South Africa, but at the same time it is becoming abundant in other areas of the world with similar climates, such as California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and coastal Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where it has escaped from gardens to become a noxious weed. This is a popular ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
in areas of suitable climate, grown as a ground cover for its silvery foliage and showy daisy blooms. It is adaptable to many conditions and is sometimes used as a soil stabilizer in areas of erosion. It is a perennial with stout, woolly stems and aromatic, fiddle-shaped, heavily lobed leaves. The flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
have many creamy-white to pink or bronze ray florets with lavender to reddish undersides and centers filled with purple-petalled disc florets. The fruit is a hard achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
with a tuft of plumelike hairs on one end and an array of pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
scales on the other.