Ursinia dentata

Ursinia dentata is a perennial shrublet of the Western Cape that bears yellow daisies. The genus comprises 54 species, some of them annual or biennial herbs, others woody shrubs. Most are endemic to South Africa.

The plant has alternate, divided and lobed leaves densely stacked on the branches. The single spring and summer flowers bloom on long slender, reddish stalks. The rays are coppery or purplish on their lower surfaces. The disc is yellow. The flower is about 4 cm in diameter.

This plant was photographed in the De Hoop Nature Reserve in September. It commonly grows in the Western Cape in lime or sandstone based soils, inland as well as by the coast. The plant copes in areas receiving varying rainfall. U. dentata is frost resistant. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2007; www.factopia.com; www.redlist.sanbi.org).