Plants of
South Australia
Brachyscome ciliaris var. ciliaris
Asteraceae
Fringed Daisy,
Variable Daisy
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 6

Prior names

Brachycome ciliaris var. subdissecta

Brachycome ciliaris var. grandiflora

Brachycome dimorphocarpa

Brachycome ciliaris var. ciliaris

Common names

Fringed Daisy

Variable Daisy

Etymology

Brachyscome from the Greek 'brachys' meaning short and 'kome' meaning hair, referring to the tuft of short bristles or hairs of the pappus. Ciliaris from the Latin 'cilium' meaning eye-lash, referring to the fruit having the margins fringed with hairs.

Distribution and status

Found across much of South Australia except the north-east corner and the lower South-east, growing in woodland, mallee and forest communities. Also found in all mainland States. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in Northern Territory. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

A daisy growing up to 45 cm high, with stems, leaves, peduncle and involucres covered in fine hairs. Leaves with shallow to deep lobes. Inflorescence on a long stalk with white ray florets and yellow disc florets. This variety differs from the other four varieties found in South Australia by having pinnatisect leaves, with linear segments, non woolly stems and long flat ligules. Flowers throughout the year. Fruits are brown daisy heads. Seeds are ray and disc seeds are morphologically different. Ray seeds are smooth and narrow with flattened tuberculate faces and have a minute pappus. Disc seeds have broad flat wings with curled hairs and a longer pappus. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between January and December. Pick heads that are maturing, drying off, with brown seeds that dislodge easily. Place the seed-heads in a tray and leave to dry for a week. Then gently rub the heads by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seed viability is usually high. This species may have physiological dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate. No difference in germination between ray and disc seeds. Germination occurs more rapidly under winter conditions.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
4,900 (0.45 g)
4,900 (0.45 g)
26-Oct-2004DJD26
Gairdner-Torrens
31-Mar-2006100%-18°C
BGA6,000 (0.52 g)9-Sep-2005DJD134
Eyre Peninsula
14-Sep-200660%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.
Germination table:
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