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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Asteraceae (Sunflowers) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Year-round |
| Synonyms: [Gamolepis chrysanthemoides] |
| Height: 3-5 feet |
| Width: 3-5 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Euryops chrysanthemoides (African Bush-daisy) An evergreen sub-shrub that grows in a compact mound-like bush 3 to 5 feet tall by an equal or slightly wider width. It has 3 inch long dark glossy-green leaves that are deeply lobed and are crowded near branch tips. Nearly year round appear the 2 inch wide daisy composite flowers with yellow ray flowers and golden disc flowers in the center held up on 3 to 5 inch long stems (peduncles) with peak flowering fall through spring. Plant in full sun with only occasional to little irrigation. Listed hardy to 25 degrees F but has proven to tolerate short durations down to at least 20 F and can re-emerge from the roots if frozen to the ground so is useful either as a perennial or an evergreen shrub in USDA Zones 8 to 11 and is tolerant heat, moderate drought, poor soils and near seaside conditions. This is an attractive shrub that seems to bloom year round in coastal southern California and requires less water than the more common green form of Euryops pectinatus. Lower stems are often bare but hidden behind dense growth at branch tips so plants usually appears as a solid green foil to the cheery yellow flowers which are attractive to butterflies and other pollen and nectar feeding insects and birds are known to eat the seeds. A nice neat plant for foundation planting, massing or a tall groundcover. It is also useful in small flower arrangements as the flowers do not close at night as some other daisies do. African Bush-daisy occurs naturally in the Eastern Cape, along the coast and inland, to KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Swaziland where it is found along forest edges, ravines, within coastal scrub, grassland and disturbed areas. It was first described in 1838 by the Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle as Gamolepis chrysanthemoides but reclassified as a species of Euryops by the Swedish botanist Bertil Nordenstam in 1968 based on its chromosome count. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'eury' (or 'eurys') meaning "large" or "broad" and 'ops' (or 'opos') meaning "resemblance", "sight" or "the eye" probably in reference to the large eye-like flowers. The specific epithet means "resembling chrysanthemum". The genus Chrysanthemum gets its name from the Greek words 'chrysos' meaning "gold" and 'anthemon' meaning "flower" in reference to a golden flowered species. Other common names include Daisy-bush, Golden Daisy Bush and Paris daisy, though this latter name usually refers to the marguerite daisy, Argyranthemum frutescens. Because of its attractive foliage and continual production of bright yellow flowers this plant was a popular ornamental under its old name of Gamolepis chrysanthemoides but in early 1980s the green form of Euryops pectinatus, often called 'Viridis' or 'Green Gold' supplanted it in nurseries and eventually this plant became uncommon in California except in older landscapes where we noted it surviving with minimal care and irrigation.
This information about Euryops chrysanthemoides displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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