Description :

• Annual or perennial herbs, shrublets or shrubs
• Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, entire or variously divided to pinnatipartite
• Capitula radiate, pedunculate, usually terminal and solitary, several- to many-flowered
• Involucre campanulate, subhemispherical or turbinate; bracts in 1-4 rows, free
• Receptacle flat or slightly convex, epaleate
• Ray florets female, fertile; corolla yellow or orange yellow; tube short, with ± oblong, 3-toothed lamina up to 6 times its length
• Staminodes sometimes present
• Style linear, with linear, obtuse branches
• Ray cypselas straight or somewhat curved, triquetrous, 3-winged or terete, smooth or ribbed or tuberculate or with various processes, with or without apical cavities
• Pappus 0
• Disc florets functionally male; corolla yellow; tube widening above, with 5 lanceolate lobes
• Anthers ecalcarate, shortly tailed; with ovate, apical appendage; endothecial tissue polarised
• Style terete or linear, minutely bifid with apical ring of hairs
• Pappus 0
• x = 8, 9, 10 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Osteospermum L.
  • Linnaeus: 923 (1753)
  • Harvey: 433 (1865)
  • Norlindh: 98 (1943)
  • Norlindh: 148 (1954)
  • Norlindh: 387 (1960)
  • Nordenstam: 375 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 45, south and tropical Africa, St Helena, Somalia and SW Arabian Peninsula
• Southern Africa : Species 35, widespread