Arctotis venusta

Arctotis venusta is a species of South African plants in the daisy family. Common names include silver arctotis, kusgousblom, and blue-eyed African daisy. It is native to the western coast of South Africa,[1] The species is widely cultivated as an ornamental, and has become naturalized in parts of the United States (California, Arizona, South Carolina),[2][3] Australia,[4] and Central and South America,[5] where it has escaped from gardens to become a noxious weed.[6]

Arctotis venusta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Asterales
Family:
Asteraceae
Genus:
Arctotis
Species:
A. venusta
Binomial name
Arctotis venusta
Norl.

Arctotis venusta is grown as a ground cover because of its silvery foliage and showy flower heads. It is adaptable to many conditions and is sometimes used to control erosion. It is a perennial with stout, woolly stems and aromatic, violin-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 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.[7]

The species is sometimes regarded as the same species as the rare A. stoechadifolia, but authors separate the two as distinct species.[7][2][6]

References
  1. Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. M. Welman, E. Retief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. Van Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 2(1–2): 1–152(pt. 1), 1–270(pt. 2).
  2. Calflora taxon report, Arctotis venusta Norl., Blue-eyed african daisy
  3. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  4. Atlas of Living Australia, Arctotis stoechadifolia P.J.Bergius, White Arctotis
  5. Davidse, G., M. Sousa-Peña, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera. 2015. Asteraceae. 5(2): ined. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F..
  6. Norlindh, Nils Tycho 1965. Botaniska Notiser 118(4): 406–411
  7. Flora of North America Arctotis stoechadifolia


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