Magnificent bear ear
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Magnificent bear's ear ( Arctotis fastuosa ) |
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| Arctotis fastuosa | ||||||||||||
| Jacq. |
The magnificent bear's ear ( Arctotis fastuosa Jacq. , Syn. Venidium fastuosum (Jacq.) Stapf ) is an herbaceous plant species that is native to southern Africa. It grows up to 60 cm high and has orange flowers. It is occasionally used as an ornamental plant.
description
The magnificent bear's ear is usually referred to as an annual plant , but in Rothmaler's “Exkursionsflora von Deutschland” as a perennial that is only grown as an annual when cultivated . The height of the plant is usually 20 to 60 cm, but the growth is mainly dependent on the amount of rain available and can thus reach values between 10 and occasionally 80 cm. The plants are densely hairy; this felty to woolly hair makes the leaves look silvery-white. The leaves are lanceolate to inverted-lanceolate in outline, the margins can only be shallow or incised up to the midrib. The lower leaves are 4 to 9 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide. Further up the stem, the leaves become smaller and have entire margins.
The peduncle becomes 18 to 22 cm long and has three or more leaflets. The outer bracts are protruding and hairy on the outside. The inner bracts are firmly attached to the base of the cup. There are 35 to 50 ray florets in two circles. The tongues become 0.4 to 0.7 cm wide, their color is orange or yellow, the petals of the inner circle are red-brown at the base. The disc flowers are dark brown to black. The achenes are oval, 1.3 to 1.5 mm long and glabrous. There is no pappus or it is crown-shaped.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18.
distribution
Mainly distributed in Namaqualand ( South Africa ), this plant can also be found north to Namibia and south along the Doorn River and the Biedouw Valley . The range is characterized by a summer dry period, which the plants survive as seeds. In California, the plant is naturalized as a neophyte .
use
The magnificent bear's ear is occasionally used as an ornamental plant. It was first introduced to Europe in 1797. There are some varieties, some with cream-colored ray flowers. Most of the plants in culture, however, are hybrids of Arctotis fastuosa Jacq. and Arctotis venusta Norl. These hoard as Arctotis × hybrida . Plants labeled are available in many varieties, the flower color has a wider spectrum and also includes white, pink and red flowers.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d e Alison McKenzie Mahoney: Arctotis . In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico . tape 19 . Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford 2006, pp. 198 ( eFloras.org ).
- ↑ a b c Liesl van der Walt: Arctotis fastuosa. South African National Biodiversity Institute, accessed June 23, 2012 .
- ↑ Jepson Flora Project: V. fastuosum (Jacq.) Stapf
- ↑ a b c d Eckehart J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Exkursionsflora von Deutschland . tape 5 : Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants . Springer, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8 , pp. 632 .
Web links
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Magnificent bear's ear ( Arctotis fastuosa )
- USDA PLANTS Database: Venidium fastuosum (Jacq.) Stapf
