Arctotheca prostrata (USA)


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Asteraceae Week Part 1-Radiate Heads: Arctotheca prostrata from California-GS22 : Attachments (3).  2 posts by 2 authors.
Arctotheca protrata, a perennial mat forming herb common in SFO zoo and other places in California.



Asteraceae for ID : Golden Gate Park, San Francisco : 11SEP21 : AK – 012: 2 images.

While going through my California plants, I found some I had missed earlier.

Leaves are close to Gerbera.

Please advice.


My best guess is Arctotis arctotoides which is in cultivation in the USA (see calflora).  It is also similar to Gerbera and Gazania and I am not 100% confident of my identification.


Your guess seems to be correct as per the link below since the flowers and leaves are both matching.
wildflowernursery

Pl. also consider Arctotheca prostrata as per images and details herein.

To me appears close.


… suggestion of Arctotis arctotoides looks closer to me.

Did you check the link I had sent?


Yes, I checked it. Looked a bit different.


Not the first image, the subsequent ones.


Arctotis and Arctotheca are quite similar.  The paper by McKenzie et al. 2011 (sciencedirect) is quite useful for distinguishing features:

Table 1. Comparison of selected morphological characters in Arctotis sect. Anomalae with other sections of Arctotis and Arctotheca.

CharacterArctothecaArctotis sect.
Anomalae
Arctotis (other sections)
Ray floret fertilityNeuterNeuter or femaleFemale
Central disc floret fertilityHermaphro diteHermaphro diteFunctionally male or sterile
Floral scentPresent (absent in A. populifolia)PresentAbsent
Disc floret corolla lobe elaborationTuberculateTuberculate or applanateApplanate
Disc floret style thickening baseTruncateTruncateAttenuate
Filament ornamentationPapillosePapilloseSmooth
Maximum pappus scale lengthAlways shorter than acheneUsually longer than acheneShorter or longer than achene
Achene—adaxial ribsLongitudinal ridgesWeakly developed into wingsLongitudinal ridges (well-developed wings in A. breviscapa)
Achene—abaxial ribsLongitudinal ridgesTwo well-developed wingsTwo or three well-developed wings

However, I ‘m not convinced I could see any of these with confidence in the photos so I am not 100% sure.  Both are possible.


Updated on December 24, 2024