Arctotheca calendula (capeweed, "Watagehanaguruma")

Japanese name: ワタゲハナグルマ （綿毛花車）
Scientific name: Arctotheca calendula

[Overview]
An evergreen perennial 10–30 cm tall.
It does not produce stolons.
The leaves arise from the root as a rosette or are borne on a short stem; they are 6–15 cm long and pinnately divided into 4–5 pairs of lobes.
The leaf lobes run down the leaf axis to form wings.
The underside of the leaves is densely covered with white cottony hair, and the upper surface has curly hairs.
A single bright golden flower head 3–6 cm across is borne at the tip of a long flower stalk.
There are 14–17 ray florets, tinged with purple on the back.
The tubular florets are purplish brown.
The flowers open in sunlight and close in the evening and on cloudy days.
The tips of the outer involucral bracts are curved back, slender, pointed and black.
The fruit is an achene densely covered with pale brown cottony hair.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or by shoot cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil that retains water well and is airy.
It dislikes excess moisture, so avoid poorly drained soil and grow it in a well-ventilated place.
In poor sunlight it flowers poorly.
It tolerates dryness, so for plants in the ground rainfall is sufficient.
Apply base fertilizer, and also slow-release fertilizer in spring and autumn.
Leaving spent flowers weakens the plant, so cut them off at the base of the flower stalk.
If the plant becomes dense and stuffy, thin out the crowded leaves before the rainy season.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew and aphids.

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