Dicoma picta after the feast

After the summer season a Dicoma picta shrublet may look worse for wear as it awaits the winter rain. Forlorn as it may appear, abundance of this shrub is an indicator of veld being in good condition.

One may guess that many of the seeds formed in these wasted flowerheads have been dispersed already. And there are no leaves. The grey leaves that become 3 cm long and 5 mm wide give up when it gets dry, leaving the struggle to the stems.

Note the faint green in the striations upon the bare stems: this plant isn’t dead, it’s only waiting. Most years the wait is not in vain, for although the inundations received in these parts may be far from lavish, the response of the little shrub will be prompt and strong: these plants are hardy (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).