Cleretum bellidiforme pale flower centres

Cleretum bellidiforme shares flowering fame with many other admired plants of this region. They annually transform otherwise grey or uniformly green countryside into a colour profusion at winters end and early spring. Winter rain on the sandy soil is sufficient to activate large stocks of waiting seeds of annuals with the help of the flowering perennials.

The bokbaaivygie is named for the eponymous resort of Bokbaai or Bok Bay on the west coast where the plant is particularly common. This is a well-known and admired annual forming a sparse ground-cover.

The fruit capsules of bokbaaivygies have five segments, each contributing a good quantity of seeds ready to go. Seed dispersal of this annual is quite effective in habitat. In addition, many gardeners of even the amateur and beginner variety, discover regularly that a small packet of bokbaaivygie seed from an easily accessible source brings a wonderful result to a sunny patch, motivated by just a little watering.

This plant also goes by the common name of Livingstone daisy. Unfortunately the etymology of this name, suspected to involve the Scottish explorer, Dr. David Livingstone, could not be determined. 

Apart from the west coast of the Western Cape the plant is found further up the coast in Namaqualand and eastwards to about Bredasdorp.