Monday, April 1, 2013

Botany picture #53: Tolpis umbellata


Tolpis umbellata (Asteraceae), Australia, 2010. This daisy is not native to Australia but as weeds go it appears to be a fairly unproblematic one. The plants are very thin and ephemeral and do not seem to be able to outcompete native vegetation as far as I can tell. As shown in this picture, the flower heads are also fairly attractive once you give them a closer look - note the three different flower colors in the same head despite the fact that it is a member of the Cichorieae and thus has only the ligulate type of florets. Unfortunately, other daisies are much more aggressive invaders on this continent.

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