Arctotis fastuosa (Monarch-of-the-veld, "Benijiumu")

Japanese name: ベニジウム
Scientific name: Arctotis fastuosa

[Overview]
An annual about 80 cm tall.
The whole plant is covered with short white hairs.
The leaves are alternate; the lower leaves are pinnately divided, and the upper ones are linear.
A single flower head about 9 cm across is borne at the tip of the flower stalk.
The ray florets around the head are yellow to orange with a dark purplish brown base.
The central tubular florets are purplish brown.
The flowers open in sunlight and close in the evening and on cloudy days.
The fruit is an achene.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
The optimum germination temperature is 15–18 °C.
It dislikes being transplanted once grown, so plant it in its final position when it has about 5–6 true leaves.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, moisture-retentive, airy soil.
Without enough sun, it flowers poorly.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless sunny summer weather continues and the soil dries out.
In addition to base fertilizer, place slow-release fertilizer on the soil during the growing period.
Leaving spent flowers tires the plant, so remove them promptly.
Pinching after planting out encourages side shoots and bushy growth.
Damping-off and aphids can occur.

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