Montanoa bipinnatifida

Montanoa bipinnatifida (Kunth) K.Koch (provisionally accepted name) : 4 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (2)

Montanoa bipinnatifida (Kunth) C. Koch : 2 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (4)

This is likely Montanoa hibiscifolia or possibly M. grandiflora. They are both “Tree Daises”, native from Mexico through Central America, often in cloud forests at high elevations.
The latter is occasionally used as an ornamental in coastal California and Florida, USA.
The former is very similar, but infrequently planted due to its weedy tendencies; it has escaped in Hawaii and is considered noxious there.. It should probably be monitored and possibly eradicated especially near flowing water sources; many fertile seeds can be generated in one year.
M. grandiflora:
http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=15316
M. hibiscifolia:
http://www.hear.org/species/montanoa_hibiscifolia/
http://www.eol.org/pages/503465#image-1991590

RE: Montanoa:
I know that M. grandiflora flowers as the days just begin to lengthen in early winter in CA and FL, USA. Its flowers are vanilla scented.
I’m not certain if M. hibiscifolia flowering is photoperiodic or not, nor do I know if it is similarly-scented. Here are many more pics of it at this link:
http://www.hear.org/starr/plants/images/species/?q=montanoa+hibiscifolia

You seemed to have solved identification of two plants. To me the Plant from Nandi Hills, Karnataka, forwarded by … (25383 on 9-2-10) also appears to be the same.

I concur; 25383 is also a Montanoa species, though I can’t claim the species ID with certainty. I’m not an expert in this genus, though I have grown or propagated three species over the years. M. hibiscifolia is not one of them though, and details should be compared to photos and technical descriptions before giving a certain specific ID. From what I’ve read of its noxious habit, as well as its tolerance of warmer areas (Hawaii), it seems likely.
M. grandiflora is a worthwhile garden plant, though rangy, for large spots. It is a harbinger plant that helps “turn the corner” of shortening days; bright, fragrant flowers in the dead of winter can cheer like few others can. In my experience in CA and FL it has never volunteered, but grows very easily from softwood cuttings.
And sorry I missed 25383, amongst others. Lately I’ve had a busy schedule, so emails get saved and often not reviewed. I’ve been trying to get more involved again as I can in last week or so. To be honest, I was rather surprised to see any larger Montanoa species so far away from Mexico; they are not particularly common here in CA or FL.
And I do get concerned when potential escape-threats gain footholds in far-flung places. If I can help anyone prevent a threatening invader species with just a little information, maybe some native species can hold on for a little longer. I see so many species native to your country, some showy and some mundane, that I’ve seen through this site for the first time. I’d hate to hear that some of them become overrun with nonnatives that are unknown to observant people there until it is too late. Florida’s Everglades, among other areas in the US, are so thoroughly altered by invasives that I never saw many of the native species. Future generations will have even less.

Montanoa bipinnatifida (Kunth) K.Koch

Basic difference I have noticed in grandiflora is petals are slightly wider and 7/8 in numbers and leaves are smaller in size whereas in bipinnatifida petals are slimmer and numbers are more than 12 and leaves bigger are longer.

From where, …?

Different images in net.

ID requested: Asteraceae (Nilgiris, TN): 4 images.

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References: Catalogue of Life  The Plant List Ver.1.1  GCC  IPNI  Flora of Zimbabwe  NPGS  GBIF (with type specimen) BSI Flora of India  India Biodiversity Portal  Encyclopedia of Life (Specimen)  Dave’s Garden  igarden  Wikimedia Commons  Floriculture in India By Gurcharan Singh Randhawa, Amitabha Mukhopadhyay (1986- details)  An Excursion Flora of Central Tamilnadu, India By K. M. Matthew (1995- details)