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Othonna lobata

Othonna is a genus in the Daisy Family (Asteraceae), with most of the species found in the winter-rainfall region of western South Africa and adjacent southwestern Namibia. As with many other members of the genus, Othonna lobata loses its leaves and goes dormant during the summer months, with new leaves emerging in the fall and flowers following soon afterward. This species is similar to O. retrofracta, which has a more rounded base. As with other members of the Asteraceae, what appears at first glance to be a single flower is actually a cup-like structure containing a whole cluster of tiny flowers. In some species of Othonna (such as O. retrofracta) there are ray flowers, a ring of flowers along the outside of the cluster which are radically stretched out on one side, making the whole cluster look like a single flower ringed with petals, but in O. lobata these ray flowers are absent. With its dwarf stature, attractive swollen trunk and little heads of bright yellow flowers, Othonna lobata makes a fine container plant or bonsai specimen.

-Brian