Bietou

Appearance

Boneseed is a perennial, woody, upright shrub, growing to 3 m, although occasionally taller. It is a member of the ''Asteraceae'' family and has showy, bright yellow flowers in swirls of 5-8 'petals' up to 30 mm in diameter. Fruit are berry-like, spherical at around 8 mm in diameter, and turn dark-brown to black with a bone-coloured seed inside of 6–7 mm diameter. Leaves are 2–6 cm long by 1.5–5 cm wide, oval tapering to the base with irregularly serrate margins.

Bitou bush can be distinguished from boneseed in part due to its more rounded sprawling habit to 1.5–2 m , less noticeably toothy leaf margins and seeds that are egg-like rather than spherical.

Both boneseed and bitou bush hybridise readily, however, so examples of plants demonstrating a fusion of traits is possible.

''C. monilifera'' has been shown to need pollinators in order to reproduce.

Distribution

''Chrysanthemoides monilifera'' occurs naturally in coastal areas of South Africa, reaching into southern Namibia and Mozambique. The most widespread subspecies in South Africa is ''pisifera''. Subspecies ''rotundata'' is concentrated along the eastern coast of South Africa from its southern tip through to the Mozambique border. Subspecies ''monilifera'' is concentrated around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula on South Africa's south western coast.

Habitat

''Chrysanthemoides monilifera'' occurs naturally in coastal areas of South Africa, reaching into southern Namibia and Mozambique. The most widespread subspecies in South Africa is ''pisifera''. Subspecies ''rotundata'' is concentrated along the eastern coast of South Africa from its southern tip through to the Mozambique border. Subspecies ''monilifera'' is concentrated around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula on South Africa's south western coast.