Athanasia trifurcata flowerheads

The flowerheads of Athanasia trifurcata grow in shallowly domed clusters of broadly cylindrical flowerheads, about 6 mm in diameter. The yellow flowerheads are discoid, lacking ray florets, but may carry up to 100 disc florets each. The florets are five-lobed, tiny and compactly clustered.

Flowering happens in spring and early summer. In the photo taken in November only some outer florets of the flowerheads are open yet, the inner ones still in bud.

The genus is largely of the fynbos, 36 of the 40 species occurring there (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Manning, 2007).