Dimorphotheca ecklonis, also known as Cape Marguerite, African daisy, Van Staden's River daisy, Sundays River daisy, white daisy bush, blue-and-white daisy bush, star of the veldt, Kaapse magriet, jakkalsbos, Vanstadensrivier madeliefie, or Sondagsrivier madeliefie is a perennial[3] ornamental plant[2] that is native to South Africa. It features white ray florets and a dark blue centre and is part of the Asteraceae family. The species is named after Christian Friedrich Ecklon, a Danish botanical collector who explored the flora of the Cape in the early 1800s.[2] It is regarded as an invasive plant in parts of Australia, particularly Victoria and Western Australia.[4]
| Dimorphotheca ecklonis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Dimorphotheca |
| Species: | D. ecklonis
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| Binomial name | |
| Dimorphotheca ecklonis | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
Features
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Dimorphotheca ecklonis is an evergreen, perennial dwarf shrub that can grow up to 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) tall.[2][5] The flowerheads measure up to 5 to 8 centimeters (2.0 to 3.1 in) in diameter.[2] The leaves measure 13 to 25 by 2.5 to 10 centimeters (5.12 to 9.84 by 0.98 to 3.94 in) and are glandular fluffy, sessile, elliptical, slightly succulent, narrow obovate, and entire or serrated. The heads are on 15 to 20 centimeters (5.9 to 7.9 in) long stems and have a diameter of 5 to 8 centimeters (2.0 to 3.1 in). The bracts are 13 to 16 millimeters (0.51 to 0.63 in) long and glandular. The rays are white above and reddish blue below. The disc is dark blue or purple. The fruit surface is net-wrinkled.[6]
The plant contains hydrocyanic acid, making it poisonous to livestock, such as cattle, and pets, such as rabbits and rodents.[2][5]
The plant is a useful model organism for experiments because of traits such as the ability to grow quickly and all year round. It can also be used as a UV indicator because it is phototropic and sensitive to radiation.[7][8]
Distribution
editWhen found naturally the plants can be seen growing at the base of cliffs or on steep hills.[2] It is native to a small area in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, around Uitenhage and Humansdorp and is found on wet grass and in river beds at altitudes up to 300 meters (980 ft). It prefers subtropic biomes but has been introduced into the Azores, California, Mauritius, New South Wales, Queensland, Réunion, Spain, Tunisia, Victoria, and Western Australia.[9] It has become popular in Europe in places such as Sicily, Italy.[10]
Cultivation and Propagation
editDimorphotheca ecklonis can be grown as a perennial but based on the temperature swings of the local climate it can be grown as an annual plant.[11][12] The peak flowering period is in spring, although some flowers will last through summer.[2] The plants grow fast and thrive best in full sun, in poor to moderately fertile, well-drained, sandy soil.[2][5]
It is widely used as an ornamental plant in pots and beddings.[13] In places, such as Australia, where it has become invasive the white coloured flowers grow as groundcover plants.[14]
New plants can be cultivated from seeds or cuttings.[2][5] The plants should be propagated by seed in spring at cooler temperatures (18°C).[15][5] It is recommended that the seeds, which germinate easily, are planted 15 to 25 centimeters (5.9 to 9.8 in) from one another.[11] For propagation via cuttings, softwood cuttings should be taken in late spring and semi-ripe cuttings should be taken in late summer.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Dimorphotheca ecklonis". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Dimorphotheca ecklonis | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ "Osteospermum ecklonis – FNA". floranorthamerica.org. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ Eckehart J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (ed.): Rothmaler. Excursion flora of Germany. Volume 5: Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8.
- ^ a b c d e f "Dimorphotheca ecklonis". Royal Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ Munz, PA 1968. Suppl. Calif. Fl. 1–224. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- ^ Ávila-Avilés, R. D.; Torres-Gómez, N.; Camacho-López, M. A.; Vilchis-Nestor, A. R. (2020-10-06). "SERS activity of hybrid nano/microstructures Ag-Fe3O4 based on Dimorphotheca ecklonis pollen grains as bio-template". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 16633. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73615-x. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7538885. PMID 33024180.
- ^ Trigona, Carlo; Napoli, Giuseppe; Pasquale, Stefania; Puglisi, Ivana; Baglieri, Andrea; Gueli, Anna Maria (May 2021). "A Plant-Based Sensor for UV-A Radiation Measurements". 2021 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC). pp. 1–5. doi:10.1109/I2MTC50364.2021.9459911. ISBN 978-1-7281-9539-1.
- ^ "Dimorphotheca ecklonis DC. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ Barone, Giulio; Bajona, Enrico; Bartolucci, Fabrizio; Cancellieri, Laura; Caruso, Giuseppe; Conti, Fabio; Domina, Gianniantonio; Fascetti, Simonetta; Franzoni, Jacopo; Laface, Valentina L. A.; Pinzani, Lorenzo; Rosati, Leonardo; Scoppola, Anna; Stinca, Adriano; Tilia, Agnese (2023-11-20). "Contribution to the floristic knowledge of Lipari and Panarea Islands (Sicilia, Italy)". Italian Botanist. 16: 59–71. doi:10.3897/italianbotanist.16.113415. hdl:11581/483744. ISSN 2531-4033.
- ^ a b admin (2015-03-06). "Production Guidelines for Four Crops—Osteospermum, Angelonia, Calibrachoa & Ornamental Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)". Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ "Growing African Daisies Will Add Bright, Vivid Color in Your Garden—Here's How". The Spruce. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ Giovannini, Annalisa; Zottini, Michela; Morreale, Giacomo; Spena, Angelo; Allavena, Andrea (January 1999). "Ornamental traits modification by Rol genes in Osteospermum ecklonis transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens". In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology – Plant. 35 (1): 70–75. doi:10.1007/s11627-999-0012-2. ISSN 1054-5476.
- ^ Laura, Marina; Consonni, Roberto; Locatelli, Franca; Fumagalli, Elisabetta; Allavena, Andrea; Coraggio, Immacolata; Mattana, Monica (September 2010). "Metabolic response to cold and freezing of Osteospermum ecklonis overexpressing Osmyb4". Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 48 (9): 764–771. doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2010.06.003. PMID 20619667.
- ^ Bass, Louis N.; Toy, S. J.; Sayers, R. L.; Clark, D. C. (1967). "Storage of Dimorphotheca Sinuata and Osteospermum Ecklonis Seed". Proceedings of the Association of Official Seed Analysts. 57: 67–70. ISSN 0097-1324. JSTOR 23432248.
Bibliography
edit- Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
External links
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