Arctotis fastuosa explained

Arctotis fastuosa, called Monarch-of-the-veld, is a species of African plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Namibia and South Africa.^[1] It has become naturalized on roadsides and in vacant urban lots in southern California.^{[2] [3]}

Arctotis fastuosa is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its showy flowers. It is an annual herb growing up to about 35 centimeters in height, but known to approach 90 centimeters (36 inches) at times. It is hairy in texture, the hairs long and webby when the plant is young. Leaves occur in basal rosettes and are alternately arranged along the stem. They can be several centimeters long all but the uppermost are divided into several lobes. They are borne on flat petioles with wide bases. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head which can be large and showy, measuring up to 10 centimeters wide. Cultivars are bred for varied flower colors; the ray florets can be orange or white with purple, yellow, or orange bases, and the disc florets at the center can be brown, purple, or black.^[2]

External links

• iSpot, I Share Nature, Observations in the Species: Arctotis fastuosa, Common Name: Bittergousblom photos of Arctotis fastuosa in the wild in South Africa
• Венидиум пышный (Арктотис) (Venidium fastuosum, Arctotis fastuosa) in Russian with photos
• Calphotos Photo gallery, Venidium fastuosum, University of California
• Calflora taxon report, University of California, Venidium fastuosum (Jacq.) Stapf, monarch of the veld, cape daisy
• Венидиум (Venidium: care and cultivation) in Russian

Notes and 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. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250066098 Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 198 Monarch-of-the-veld Arctotis fastuosa Jacquin, Pl. Hort. Schoenbr. 2: 20, plate 166. 1797.
3. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Arctotis%20fastuosa.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map