Origin:
Native to South Africa but introduced as an ornamental plant to North America, where it now occurs from northern Mexico and Arizona north to Alaska.
Biology:
An attractive perennial plant that has escaped cultivation to be a common roadside weed. It reproduces from seeds, and is found especially in saline soils with high moisture, in disturbed sites and waste areas, or in grassy pastures.
Identification:
Mature plants generally are no taller than 12 inches, with multiple stems and branches coming from the base of the plant. Stems are thin and tend to grow low to the soil, giving the plants a spreading habit. Leaves are up to 3 inches long, smooth and shiny green, and are deeply and irregularly lobed. The overall shape of the leaf is narrow and lance shaped. Flowers are small but showy, with flower heads of bright yellow petals and up to ½ inch across, with no ray flowers but with the disc flowers widely open as a convex, rounded button shape.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
Control normally is not needed for this plant, although it can easily be physically removed, or controlled with a systemic herbicide.
