scale bar = 1cm.

Daisies - native and introduced (Asteraceae)

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Daisies are composite flowers. The flower head is made up of many small flowers (the florets). There are two kinds of florets. Those with a single long petal (the ray florets), and those with tubular petals (the disc florets). A typical daisy flower has an outer circle of ray florets which surround the central disc florets. Some daisies (e.g. dandelions) have ray florets only. Other daisies (e.g. Billy Buttons) have disc florets only. One or more circles of small leaves (the bracts) surround the base of the flower clusters. These are usally green but are sometimes brightly coloured (e.g in everlasting daisies) and resemble petals. In some daisies (e.g. Poached Egg Daisies), what appears to be one head is made up of numerous heads.


With both ray and disc florets     Disc florets only, over 1cm wide     Disc florets only, under 1cm wide     Ray florets only     Everlastings

Typical daisies - with petals and disc florets.

img Thistles Flower clusters spiny; spines will pierce skin.
img Yarrow (*Achillea millefolium) Numerous small flowers. Leaves much divided. Uncommon.
img Aster Weed (*Aster subulatus) Erect. White petals scarcely visible. Wetlands and streamsides.
img English Daisy (*Bellis perennis) Lawn weed. Common.
img Blue Burr-daisy (Calotis cuneifolia) Showy purple/blue flowers. Locally rare.
img Cut-leaf Burr-daisy (Calotis anthemoides) White flowers. Locally rare.
img Common Chamomile (*Chamaemelum nobile) Showy white flowers. Rare.
img Violet Daisy-bush (Olearia floribunda) Ray petals are violet.Shrub. Locally rare.
img Silky Daisy-bush (Olearia myrsinoides) Only a few large ray petals.Shrub. Uncommon.
img Cypress Daisy-bush (Olearia teretifolia) Cypress-like leaves. Shrub. Locally rare.
img Tufted Burr-daisy (Calotis scapigera) Herb. Seeds with stout spines. Locally rare.
img White Cudweed (*Vellerophyton dealbatum) Erect. Stems woolly white. Petals white.
img Fleabanes (*Conyza species) Tiny whitish petals. Common.
img Bottle Daisy (Lagenophora gunniana) Basal rosette of toothed leaves. Brownish flower at end of stalk. Common.
img Cape Weed (*Arctotheca calendula) Herb that dies off over summer. Common.
img Boneseed (*Chrysanthemoides monilifera) Leafy shrub with daisy flowers. Wiry, few leaved.
img Cape Ivy (*Delairea odorata) Climber with glossy leaves.
img Stinkwort (*Dittrichia graveolens) Sticky plant. Flowers mid-summer. Common.
img Gazania (*Gazania linearis) Bright yellow-orange daisy flowers. Common.
img Jerusalem Artichoke (*Helianthus tuberosus) Tall (to 1.5m) Large yellow daisy flowers. Produces edible tubers.
senecio Groundsels and Fireweeds (Senecio species) Petals scarcely visible, not showy.
img Showy Podolepis (Podolepis species) Ragged-looking daisy. Common.
img2 New Holland Daisies (Vittadenia species) Mostly woolly daisies. Small blue flowers.
daisy Cut-leaf Daisy (Brachyscome multifida) Small tufted daisy. Leaves much divided. Localised.
daisy Weak Daisy (Brachyscome debilis) Small. Leaves narrow, sometimes divided. Locally rare.
daisy Tall Daisy (Brachyscome diversifolia) Erect. Locally rare.
daisy Austral Bear's-ear (Cymbonotus preissianus) Yellow daisy from leafy base. Widespread.


Disc florets only - flowers 1cm wide or more.

img Flannel Cudweed (*Actinobole ulignosum) Almost stalkless. Flower cluster of several heads. Uncommon.
img Old Man Weed (Centipeda cunninghamii) Wetland plant with button daisy flowers at leaf bases. Common.
img Water Buttons (Cotula coronopifolia) Slightly succulent plant. Common.
img Cotulas (*Cotula species) Small button daisies with fern-like leaves. Common.
img Woolly Heads (Myriocephalus rhizocephalus) Low growing. Slender leaves. Locally rare.
img Jo Jo (*Soliva sessilis) Seeds prickly.
cc Lemon Beauty-heads(Calocephalus citreus). Grassland plant. Moderately common.
button Billy Buttons (Craspedia variabilis) Yellow button flowers 20-50cm. Common.
button Star Cudweed (Euchiton sphaericus) Numerous leaves radiate from flower base. Florets numerous. Uncommon.
button Creeping Cudweed (Euchiton collinus) Leaves at flower base short, inconspicuous. Creeper. Common.
button Common Cudweed (Euchiton involucratus) 6 (or sometimes more) leaves at flower base. Uncommon.
img Lanky Buttons (Leptorhynchos elongatus) Tall herb 15-50cm. Rare.
img Scaly Buttons (Leptorhynchos squamatus) Herb to 30cm. Leaves narrow. Common.
img Wiry Buttons (Leptorhynchos tenuifolius) Herb to 30cm. Leaves very narrow, wiry. Common.


Disc florets only. Flowers less than 1cm wide.

img Coffee Bush (Cassinia sifton) Very common and abundant. Leaves small, narrow. Flower clusters brown.
img Shiny Cassinia (Cassinia longifolia) Leaves moderately wide, central vein visible underneath the leaf. Uncommon. Mainly south parts of district.
img Common Cassinia (Cassinia aculeata) Leaves narrow, central vein obscured underneath the leaf. Uncommon. Mainly south parts of district.
img Sticky Cassinia (Cassinia diminuta) Leaves small, narrow, sticky. Uncommon and scattered.
img Cottony Haeckeria (Cassinia ozothamnoides) Mt Alexander, possibly now extinct here. Very rare.
img Moss Sunray (Hyalosperma demissum) A diminutive daisy.
img Clustered Everlasing (Chrysocephalum semipapposum) Leaves green. Moderately common.
img Common Bow Flower (Millotia muelleri) Hairs with sticky tips. Uncommon.
pegs Cobblers' Pegs (*Bidens pilosa) Erect herb. Peg-like seeds. Rare.
grey e Grey Everlasting (Ozothamnus obcordatus) Erect shrub Leaves shiny green above. Very common.
img Hairy Solenogyne (Solenogyne gunii) .
img Smooth Solenogyne (Solenogyne dominii) Rosette of basal leaves. Short thick flower stalk.


Ray florets only - Dandelions etc.

img Smooth Hawksbeard (*Crepis capillaris) Tallish, branched, erect. Southern districts.
img Ox Tongue (*Heliminotheca echioides.) Erect, prickly with stiff hairs.
img Cat's Ear (*Hypochaeris radicata). Rosette of lobed leaves. Usually branched stems. Common.
img Smooth Cat's Ear (*Hypochaeris glabra) Rosette of scarcely lobed leaves. Single stemmed. Common.
img Prickly Lettuce (*Lactuca serriola) Prickly leaves held vertically, lobed or unlobed. Common
img Hairy Hawkbit (*Leontodon saxatilis) Leaves narrow, basal and toothed. Common.
img Yam Daisy (Microseris walteri) Dandelion-like flowers. Buds nodding. Forest or grassland. Common.
img Rough Sow Thistle (*Sonchus asper) Leaves rounded at base. Common.
img Sow Thistle (*Sonchus oleraceus) Leaves pointed at base. Common.
img Dandelion (*Taraxicum officinale) Toothed basal leaves, floral bracts bend backwards. Common.
img Salsify (*Tragopogon porrifolius) Erect. Reddish-purple flowers.
img Skeleton Weed (*Chondrilla juncea) Wiry, few leaved.
xanthium Bathurst Burr (*Xanthium spinosum) Shrublet with spiny stems and fruit. Common.
img Small Wrinklewort (Siloxerus multiflorus) Small plant. Heads like tiny cauliflowers.
img Spoon Cudweed (Stuartina muelleri) Spoon-shaped leaves. Common.
img Chichory (*Cichorium intybus) Twiggy plant. Common weed.


Everlastings - bracts petal-like.

everlasting Common Everlasting (Chrysocephalum apiculatum group) Flowers 7mm wide or more. Common.
everlasting Clustered Everlasting (Chrysocephalum semipapposum) Button flowers 7mm wide or less. Common.
everlasting Button Everlasting (Coronidium scorpioides) Southern areas. Common.
everlasting White Everlasting (Chrysocephalum baxteri) White petal-like bracts. Locally rare.
img Hoary Sunray (Leucochrysum albicans) Narrow hoary basal leaves. Localised.
img Sticky Everlasting (Xerochrysum viscosum) Narrow sticky leaves. Common.
img Austral Sunray (Triptilodiscus pygmaeus) Terminal yellow flowers. Moderately common.
img Jersey Cudweed (*Laphangium luteo- album) To 30cm high. Leaves white, hairy. Common.
laeve Smooth Sunray (Rhodanthe laevis) Hairless. Papery bracts. Scattered.
laeve Paper and Chamomile Sunrays (Rhodanthe species) White papery bracts. Rare locally.
grey e Grey Everlasting (Ozothamnus obcordatus) Erect shrub Leaves shiny green above. Very common.