Oedera imbricata flowerhead

This Oedera imbricata flowerhead shows the maroon colouring found on the outer surfaces of the ray florets as well as on the bract margins.

The triangular looking leaves overlap in dense spirals around the stems. The leaves curve back markedly in claw-like fashion and are hairless. Leaf margins have bristly, stiff hairs.

Close-up isn’t close up enough in this photo to show the “false” flowerheads clearly. The disc florets of this species are themselves composite, making up the “overall” structure as flowerheads within flowerheads. The ray florets are female, the discs bisexual. The involucral bracts growing around the flowerhead or capitulum occur in several rows below the yellow rays, the outer ones green, the inner ones nearly translucent.

Flowering happens from late winter through spring. The pappus on the fruit consists of scales.

This species does not resprout after fire, while O. capensis does (www.keys.lucidcentral.org).