Pygmy Daisy
Head Leaves & Buds
Pygmy Daisy
Bud & Flower, Above
| Pygmy Daisy Head Leaves & Buds | | Pygmy Daisy Bud & Flower, Above | | ||
 | Class: | Plants (Plantae) - Land Plants (Charophyta) - Land Plants (Equisetopsida) | |||
| Order: | Sunflowers (Asterales) | ||||
| Family: | Daisy (Asteraceae) iNaturalist Observation | ||||
| Species: | Pygmy Daisy (Rhodanthe pygmaea) | ||||
| This Photo: | Bud & Flower, Profile | ||||
| Synonym: | Helipterum pygmaeum | ||||
| Other names: | Pygmy Paper Daisy or Pigmy Sunray | ||||
Thank you Tony and Jenny Dominelli & Darren Fielder for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere What a strange little plant. Most of the joys of this species came when analysing the photo's. It's too small to appreciate on the ground. Normally the base of a daisy flower, the involucre, is inconspicuous. But, like with Senecio flowers, the involucre here is the most prominent part of the flower. The normal display parts (petals, etc) are tiny. When fertilisation is complete, the tips of the seed head (wings) protrude out the middle of the flower. Then the involucre spits open showing a dazzling white display of the seed head. Further, the upright stems are not single plants, but many come from one plant. The red stems spread out along the ground and then bend upwards. The leaves are felted on the back. | |||||
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