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Capeweed

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Photos of Capeweed
Scientific Name:Arctotheca calendula
Capeweed plants
Capeweed plants
Photo: A J Brown

Status:
Native to South Africa. Naturalised across the southern half of Australia and in New Zealand.

Plant Description:
Annual stemless or shortly stemmed, herb, 80 cm wide and 30 cm high, with a taproot and a basal rosette of leaves. Leaves are 5-25 cm long and 2-6 cm wide, on 6 cm stalks, stem clasping, oblanceolate (backward pointing spear-shaped) deeply lobed and white downy or felted underneath.

Flower-head (the ‘daisy’ is actually a composite of many small flowers) is 15 mm diameter. The outer flowers or ray florets (the ‘petals’) have a yellow upper-side (sometimes with a dark purple to brown base), a grey-green to purplish-green underside and are 1.5-2.5 mm long. The inner flowers or disc florets (the ‘eye’) are dark purplish black and tubular. Fruit are achenes and are covered in brown, woolly hairs.

Habitat:
Widespread and common weed of pastures, lawns, cultivation and waste areas across Victoria. Typically a plant of fresh-water habitats but may occur on the fringes of saline swamps and flats during wetter periods.
RegionSalinity ClassWaterlogging Class
Mallee, Loddon Murray, Central and Northern, Wimmera, Western, GippslandS0, *S1W0, W1, W2
*may be found on or fringing saline sites during the wetter parts of the year

Comments:
Although, this species could also be considered a yellow daisy flat-weed (see Key to Yellow Daisy Flat-weeds), it belongs to a different taxonomic tribe.

Readily eaten by stock and providing reasonable nutrition. However, grazing of young, rapidly growing plants can cause nitrate poisoning. High intake by dairy cattle can taint milk.

Photos of Capeweed

Capeweed flower
Capeweed flower
Photo: A J Brown
Capeweed stems
Capeweed stems
Photo: A J Brown

Capeweed flower-bud
Capeweed flower-bud
Photo: A J Brown

Capeweed flowers
Capeweed flowers
Photo: A J Brown

Capeweed leaf
Capeweed leaf
Photo: A J Brown

Lower surface of Capeweed leaf
Lower surface of Capeweed leaf
Photo: A J brown

Upper surface of Capeweed leaf
Upper surface of Capeweed leaf
Photo: A J brown

Leaves and flowers of Capeweed
Leaves and flowers of Capeweed
Photo: A J brown

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