Dimorphotheca sinuata flowerhead

Cape Marigold is a daisy-like annual from South Africa. It needs well-drained, sandy soils, and tolerates drought. The sun-facing flowers are shades of yellow and orange and close at night and on cloudy days. Deadheading will help the plant produce the most blossoms. It will reseed itself and come back yearly if allowed to drop its seed. This plant grows well in rock gardens or dry areas and attracts butterflies and bees. It has naturalized in California, Arizona, and Oregan.

Dimorphotheca sinuata (Cape Marigold) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

 

The flowerheads of Dimorphotheca sinuata grow solitary on slender, erect peduncles bearing stem-leaves.

The single whorl of ray florets is pale orange to orange-yellow or pale beige with a small dark part at the base. The disc is blackish until its tiny, orange florets open. One row of narrow, free involucral bracts form a shallow cup, the flowerhead base. The daisy diameter is 4 cm to 5 cm.

Flowering happens from late winter to after midspring, starting earlier depending on rain. The fruits are disc-like, brown and papery (Manning, 2009; Le Roux, et al, 2005; Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org).

Operation Wildflower - Category: Dimorphotheca - Image: Dimorphotheca sinuata flowerhead