Bitou bush
| Bietou | |
|---|---|
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| C. m. subsp. rotundata | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Calenduleae |
| Genus: | Chrysanthemoides |
| Species: | C. monilifera |
| Binomial name | |
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Chrysanthemoides monilifera (L.) Norlindh |
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Chrysanthemoides monilifera (subspecies of which are known as Boneseed and Bitou Bush in Australasia, or Bietou, Tick Berry, Bosluisbessie, or Weskusbietou in South Africa) is an evergreen flowering shrub or small tree, usually with woolly, dull, serrate, oval leaves, but with glossy round leaves in the subsp. rotundata, belonging to the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It is native to South Africa, such as the Cape Flats Dune Strandveld habitat.
The plant has become a major environmental weed and invasive species in Australia and New Zealand.
Chrysanthemoides monilifera is one of only two members of the genus Chrysanthemoides, the other is Chrysanthemoides incana.
C. monilifera has six recognized subspecies:
In Australia, C. m. ssp. monilifera is known by the common name 'Boneseed', while C. m. ssp. rotundata is known by the common name 'Bitou Bush'. In New Zealand subspecies are not distinguished and C. monilifera is simply known as 'Boneseed'.
C. monilifera was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1754 under the name Osteospermum monilifera, however it was given its current binomial name in 1943 by T. Norlindh.
The species name monilifera comes from the Latin, monile, meaning necklace or collar, referring to the shiny fruit arranged around the flowers like a necklace.
Boneseed is a perennial, woody, upright shrub, growing to 3 m (9.8 ft), although occasionally taller. It is a member of the Asteraceae (daisy) family and has showy, bright yellow flowers in swirls of 5-8 'petals' (ray florets) up to 30 mm (1.2 in) in diameter. Fruit are berry-like, spherical at around 8 mm in diameter, and turn dark-brown to black with a bone-coloured seed inside of 6–7 mm diameter. Leaves are 2–6 cm (0.79–2.36 in) long by 1.5–5 cm (0.59–1.97 in) wide, oval tapering to the base with irregularly serrate margins.
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Wikipedia