Arctotheca calendula explained

Arctotheca calendula is a plant in the sunflower family commonly known as capeweed, plain treasureflower, cape dandelion, or cape marigold because it originates from the Western Cape Province in South Africa.^{[1] [2]} It is also found in neighboring KwaZulu-Natal.^[3]

Description

Arctotheca calendula is a squat perennial or annual which grows in rosettes and sends out stolons and can spread across the ground quickly. The leaves are covered with white woolly hairs, especially on their undersides. The leaves are lobed or deeply toothed. Hairy stems bear daisy-like flowers with small yellow petals that sometimes have a green or purple tint surrounded by white or yellow ray petals extending further out from the flower centers.

Cultivation

It is cultivated as an attractive ornamental groundcover but has invasive potential when introduced to a new area. The plant can reproduce vegetatively or via seed. Seed-bearing plants are most likely to become weedy, taking hold most easily in bare or sparsely vegetated soil or disturbed areas.^[4]

Spread

Arctotheca calendula is naturalized in California,^{[5] [6]} Spain,^{[7] [8]} Portugal, Italy,^[9] Australia,^{[10] [11]} New Zealand,^[12] and Chile,^[13] and considered a noxious weed in some of those places.

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• New South Wales Flora
• Herbigude, Capeweed photograph, capeweed description and capeweed diagram from HerbiGuide.
• Capeweed at EncycloWeedia
• Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands
• Queensland Government Factsheet

Notes and References

1. Levyns, Margaret Rutherford Bryan 1942. Journal of South African Botany 8(4): 284
2. Web site: Tropicos | Name - Arctotheca calendula (L.) Levyns. www.tropicos.org. October 1, 2019.
3. Web site: Arctotheca calendula | PlantZAfrica. pza.sanbi.org. October 1, 2019.
4. Web site: Arctotheca calendula in Flora of North America @ efloras.org. www.efloras.org. October 1, 2019.
5. http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/datastore/detailreport.cfm?usernumber=7&surveynumber=182 California Invasive Plant Council, University of California @ Davis
6. Web site: Arctotheca calendula Calflora. www.calflora.org. October 1, 2019.
7. http://www.floravascular.com/index.php?spp=Arctotheca%20calendula Flora Vascular de Andalucía Occidental, Arctotheca calendula (L.) Levyns
8. http://floracatalana.es/A/arctotheca%20calendula Flora Catalana, Arctotheca calendula
9. http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=arctotheca+calendula Altervista Flora Italiana, Arctoteca simile alla calendola, Arctotheca calendula (L.) Levyns
10. Web site: Arctotheca calendula. Atlas of Living Australia. October 1, 2019.
11. http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&ibra=all&card=H70 Weeds Australia, Capeweed Arctotheca calendula
12. http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Weed/Arctotheca_calendula.html Flora of New Zealand Arctotheca calendula (L.) Levyns
13. https://www.chlorischile.cl/ARCOTECAWEB/arctotecamedina.htm ESPECIE INVASORA DE SUELOS ARENOSOS EN LA REGIÓN DE LA ARAUCANÍA (IX), CHILE Chloris chilense, Revista chilena de flora y vegetación. Arctotheca calendula